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13 June 2025 / Bernadette Bulacan
Issue: 8120 / Categories: Features , Artificial intelligence , Profession , Legal services , Technology
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Upending the legal industry

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Bernadette Bulacan on how AI is reshaping the sector

The legal industry stands at a pivotal moment for transformation, as AI technologies such as generative AI (gen AI), autonomous agents and large language models have begun reshaping how legal teams operate. From law firms to in-house legal departments, the integration of AI promises to evolve the roles and responsibilities of legal professionals at all levels.

AI is particularly advantageous in the legal sector because deep reasoning and strategic decision-making are highly valued, and established workflows are primed for automation. The Blickstein Group’s latest Law Department Operations survey shows that more than 90% of legal departments will substantially utilise gen AI in the next three years—proof that the sector’s perspective on AI has rapidly progressed beyond early scepticism to mark a pivotal moment in the evolution of legal practice.

AI-specialised professionals

Recent innovations have pushed AI’s capabilities beyond an assistive role into autonomous agents that can take action to support and augment human productivity. As agentic AI becomes ubiquitous, every

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

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Sponsored by
Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Switalskis—Naila Arif, Harriet Findlay & Ellie Thompson

Firm awards training contracts to paralegals through internal programme

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Ward Hadaway—Matthew Morton

Private client disputes specialist joins commercial litigation team

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Thomson Hayton Winkley—Nina Hood

Cumbria firm appoints new head of residential property

NEWS
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NLJ this week: Divorce ‘nuclear weapon’ freezes assets but entangles outsiders
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
NLJ this week: What counts as ‘rent’? Court says labour alone won’t do
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
NLJ this week: Freed but failed—justice system leaves the innocent empty-handed
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
NLJ this week: Clarity on whistleblowing, settlements and tribunal limits
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
NLJ this week: Family law urged to ditch adversarial instincts
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
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