**London**: The emergence of agentic AI marks a transformative shift in legal practice, enabling autonomous task completion and increasing operational efficiency. Experts discuss its implications for workforce dynamics, skills requirements, and the need for strategic integration alongside governance policies in legal firms.
Agentic AI is emerging as a transformative force within the legal sector, differentiating itself from traditional artificial intelligence by executing complex tasks autonomously without the need for separate prompts for each function. These AI systems are capable of handling workflows typically requiring human intervention, making them a promising avenue for increased efficiency in legal operations.
Keith Feeny, Chief Technology Officer at Hill Dickinson, has noted that agentic AI represents a progression of legal process engineering. He remarked, “Agentic AI feels very much like an evolution of legal process engineering, moving from rules-based automation to supervised and ultimately autonomous members of the team.” This shift reflects a growing acceptance of digital colleagues within legal teams.
The term ‘legal engineer’ was first introduced by Peter Lee, who founded Wavelength, a pioneering legal engineering firm now part of Simmons & Simmons. The firm is actively integrating agentic AI and digital workers into its legal and compliance teams through its proprietary large language model, Percy, and in collaboration with Berlin-based Flank AI. Lee explained, “In the last year, we started seeing agentic AI as a way of augmenting our legal and compliance teams… It gives the impression of working with a human colleague.”
The implementation of agentic AI comes with the promise of disaggregating legal processes and reducing reliance on human labour, particularly for routine tasks. Lee pointed out the potential for agentic AI to disrupt the alternative legal service providers (ALSPs) market, suggesting that it could change the skill sets required within legal teams. He outlined the vast applications of agentic AI, from managing contracts to addressing compliance queries.
However, the integration of such technology can breed uncertainty, particularly regarding employment. Lee highlighted the need for skilled individuals to interface with technology effectively, ensuring that it aligns seamlessly with existing workflows. He stated, “If you don’t integrate it with processes and people, you will fail to realise its benefits.”
A notable feature of Simmons & Simmons’ implementation is the bespoke configuration of Percy, tailored to the firm’s specific legal tasks. Unlike general AI models, Percy is designed specifically for legal work, allowing secure handling of client data. Lee clarified, “You can’t ask it to create a film poster – it’s pointed at NDAs, contract management, legislation and legal regulation.”
The legal AI sector has also seen substantial financial backing, with companies like Harvey, Legora, and Robin AI securing significant investment. According to Business Insider, Harvey raised $500 million in Series D funding, while Legora has gained traction following its participation in the Y Combinator incubator, now piloting its services with Bird & Bird and Mishcon de Reya.
Legora’s head of strategic partnerships, Chris Williams, described the company’s approach as focusing on creating flexible functions tailored to the legal context. “Legora is agentic AI with the ability to understand the legal context and break down tasks in the same way as a lawyer would do,” Williams explained. Their technology automatically selects the necessary tools for a task, showcasing versatility across various legal processes.
As the legal landscape adapts to AI advancements, organisations are also grappling with governance challenges. Recently, Hill Dickinson found itself in the spotlight for distributing an email that restricted the unauthorised use of publicly available generative AI platforms. Feeny explained, “We have put in place an AI policy that sets out guidelines on access to and use of AI tools for work-related purposes.” This new policy aims to protect sensitive information while still engaging with AI technologies.
A LexisNexis survey indicated that the desire for legal technology, particularly AI, is strong among legal professionals. The survey revealed that 11% of lawyers would consider leaving firms that did not adopt AI, suggesting significant competitive pressure on firms to integrate such technologies in their operations.
Overall, the burgeoning field of agentic AI offers a promising expansion for legal practices, heralding a new era in which digital tools alter the way legal professionals operate, provided that firms can navigate the governance and integration challenges they present.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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