In my 15 years of lawyering—first in traditional law firms and later across various industries as in-house counsel—one problem has remained stubbornly familiar: contract management can feel like chasing after scattered puzzle pieces. I’ve seen time lost sifting through old folders, wrangling with cluttered Google and OneDrives, rummaging through colleagues’ email archives, and even digging through old USB sticks. Countless times, I’ve had to ask colleagues to verify whether my contract file was the latest version. It’s not just frustrating; it’s a costly distraction that pulls us away from what really matters—serving clients, guiding strategic decisions, and managing risk.
2025 is right around the corner, and I am convinced we’re on the cusp of something better. AI is no longer just a buzzword tossed around by tech enthusiasts; it’s a practical, proven ally for us lawyers in turning those unruly archives into streamlined, insightful resources. I’ve tested, prodded, and retested tools, sometimes remaining unconvinced until I saw results for myself. To me, AI is no ordinary tool—with GenAi, it’s become a catalyst for the most dramatic transformation of legal practice.
As someone witnessing firsthand the transformative power of a tech-empowered legal landscape, I’ve been closely monitoring the trends shaping our industry. Here are some of the major changes on the horizon that I believe will redefine how businesses and legal teams leverage AI to achieve better outcomes in 2025.
1. Expect More AI integration in Legal Workflows
AI is making its presence felt at every stage of the contract lifecycle, from drafting and reviewing to compliance monitoring. Automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks enables legal teams to shift their focus to strategic, high-value activities, ultimately driving greater impact for the business. Consider our partner ContractPodAI’s Leah Drive. I’ve seen firsthand how it transforms contract management from a glorified repository into a dynamic, analytical engine. It’s not just about faster search and retrieval; it’s about mapping out obligations and risks and onboarding new models and frameworks to tackle diverse legal use cases.
Yet even with these advancements, AI can’t fully replace the nuanced judgment of a human expert. That’s why I’m a big believer in “human-in-the-loop”—we let AI handle the heavy lifting, but we retain the oversight and context to ensure accuracy.
2. Legal Counsel and Business Lawyers Will Reassess Their Value in Organizations
Repetitive, time-consuming tasks have historically bogged down legal teams. I recall an old colleague complaining about the hours he spent combing through another former colleague’s inbox, searching for an email from three years back to finalize court submissions. In my in-house work, it can take days to familiarize myself with a previous transaction with files that are often incomplete and not indexed properly. At some point, we lawyers need to ask ourselves—why are we, highly trained professionals, sinking so much time into this kind of work when there is advanced technology that can readily assist?
With AI handling the grunt work, lawyers are now free to shift into roles where they can amplify more of their value and expertise. Today, many of us see ourselves less as “risk firefighters” and more as strategic advisors who help businesses grow and innovate. We’re focusing on complex negotiations, guiding compliance strategies, and steering conversations around ethics and corporate responsibility. Of course, AI won’t do all the thinking for us. Its value lies in enabling us to operate at our highest expertise level.
3. Lawyers are Expanding into Interdisciplinary Roles
As technology blends seamlessly into our workflows, many lawyers find themselves broadening their skill sets. Legal professionals are developing business acumen, technological fluency, and strategic insight. It’s not about turning into data scientists overnight—it’s about understanding the tools that can amplify our legal judgment and contribute much more meaningfully to the business.
Looking ahead to 2025, I anticipate a surge in hybrid legal-technical roles—think “Legal Data Scientists” or “AI Compliance Officers.” These individuals can interpret AI-driven insights, oversee technology deployments, and translate technical outputs into meaningful legal strategies. Personally, I’ve found myself wearing multiple hats too. As a Chief Legal Officer, I’m not just advising on contracts; I’m also exploring new tech solutions, coaching our teams on best practices, and occasionally penning articles like this one! It’s all part of the evolving landscape where legal expertise meets technological advancement.
4. More Lawyers Will Leverage Data Analytics for Better Insights and Decision-Making
Contracts are not just documents. They are critical assets brimming with strategic insights. By applying advanced analytics, we can measure contract performance, spot patterns in negotiation outcomes, and identify hidden risks. This is no longer a distant fantasy. I’ve used these tools to turn what once were static PDFs into living assets that inform decision-making and benchmark our processes against industry standards. In 2025, expect more of this data-driven mindset to take root, helping legal teams and businesses operate more confidently and efficiently.
5. Increased Use of Self-Service Legal Tools and Knowledge Management
As in-house legal teams grow, self-service tools are becoming indispensable. Giving business users access to pre-approved templates or quick answers to common legal questions reduces everyone’s workload. I’ve seen platforms like Thomson Reuters’ Co-Counsel (formerly CaseText) streamline the research and drafting process, condensing hours of work into minutes. The beauty is that even non-legal staff can handle some routine tasks independently, freeing us lawyers to dedicate more time to critical, complex issues.
6. More Propriety AI Models
Beyond off-the-shelf solutions, more organizations are developing proprietary AI models tailored to their unique business needs. Law firms are modeling these systems after their top-performing attorneys, scaling their expertise without adding headcount. I’ve watched some big players, like DLA Piper, invest in bespoke AI solutions that deliver personalized, high-quality legal insights at scale.
This approach is still evolving. I expect clearer regulations and guidelines in the near future to ensure these models are used responsibly and transparently. In a way, we’re looking at a future where the secret sauce of a firm’s legal excellence may reside in the careful training and refinement of its proprietary AI.
7. Growing Momentum for Contracts as a Service
Traditionally, businesses have turned to law firms for contract support, whether that’s drafting, review, or negotiation. However, in recent years, an alternative model has been gaining steam— the “Contracts as a Service” (CaaS). Under this model, companies have a more efficient, responsive, and cost-efficient alternative to the traditional law firm. They can subscribe to specialized contract services that leverage AI, streamlined processes, and deep legal expertise at scale.
What makes CaaS so appealing is the blend of legal know-how and cutting-edge technology. Providers (like Execo) don’t just offer manpower; they harness AI-driven insights to handle repetitive, high-volume contract tasks while maintaining quality and consistency. This approach is transformative for fast-moving industries—healthcare, finance, investment banking for example—where organizations need agile, on-demand support for high volumes of repetitive contracts. For companies looking to stay competitive, it’s a way to transform the often-cumbersome contracting process into a strategic advantage.
8. Proactive Compliance Monitoring Through AI
Just the other day, I received a message from a fellow CLO asking if I knew any AI tool that could monitor trade sanctions compliance in real-time. That’s the direction we’re heading—no more scrambling to address a missed clause or rapidly changing regulations at the last minute. AI can cross-reference legal documents against current laws, track changes across multiple jurisdictions, and alert us before issues arise. Predictive analytics take it a step further, identifying emerging risks well before they hit your radar.
This proactive stance turns compliance from a reactive chore into a strategic advantage. Specialized AI tools—such as those designed to track trade sanctions—help ensure that companies remain on the right side of the law, preserving their reputation and avoiding costly penalties.
9. Greater Scrutiny on Ethical Frameworks for AI Use
As AI becomes more integrated into the legal function, questions of bias, transparency, and accountability can’t be ignored. Clients and regulators alike will expect organizations to demonstrate fairness and uphold ethical standards. That means legal teams will need to validate AI outputs, maintain audit trails, and possibly adhere to emerging industry guidelines that ensure trustworthiness.
Having a human-in-the-loop remains critical here. AI can help identify patterns, but it’s up to us to confirm that those patterns don’t lead to discriminatory outcomes or ethical blind spots. I’m confident that in the coming years, we’ll see more formalized frameworks, audits, and best practices to keep AI use in check.
Charting the Path Forward
Looking at these trends, I’m excited about the boundless possibilities for lawyers. But, at the same time, I’m also somewhat relieved. As much as I value innovation, what clients truly want (and need) is their lawyer’s judgment and advice—something only a human can provide. I don’t think this is going to change anytime soon. I’ve said it at least 150 times in the last three months, but it bears repeating: AI is just a tool—and to all the lawyers out there, you need to master this tool.
I believe that ten years from now, we’ll look back at this period as a turning point. We’ll see that lawyers stepped away from administrative drudgery and embraced technology that made us more strategic, collaborative, and indispensable to our organizations. Sure, there’s some cultural inertia—businesses will hesitate, and not every new tool will work flawlessly out of the box. But as someone who once felt a twinge of skepticism about all this, I can say this now with absolute confidence: the AI-enabled lawyer isn’t the lawyer of tomorrow—it’s the lawyer of today, and we’re standing at the forefront of a transformative era in law.
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