This year, ILTACON provided a dynamic platform for forward-thinking discussions at the Upland BA Insight & ClearPeople Customer Roundtable, where I had the pleasure of sitting down for “real talk” with industry leaders shaping the transformation of legal knowledge management (KM) and IT strategies.
During the customer roundtable, conversations with legal leaders confirmed a powerful shift happening across the legal sector. Firms are focusing not just on implementing technology, but they’re putting more thought and energy into how to deliver impactful legal AI enablement solutions. The AI fatigue and healthy skepticism is still there, but leaders are ready to get to brass tacks: they want results. At BA Insight, we believe these discussions are key to building strategies that truly empower firms to innovate, streamline, and future-proof their operations. AI isn’t going anywhere.
Shifting Priorities: Charting Trends in Legal AI Enablement
Legal KM and IT leaders are dealing with a growing demand to deliver results faster, with greater security and precision. And yes, these objectives remain critical, but many firms are finding their efforts disrupted by competing priorities—like navigating generative AI initiatives with limited success—while still having to put hours toward managing client-specific requirements and ensuring compliance as cybersecurity concerns skyrocket.
It’s not an easy act to balance.
During our discussion, several attendees spoke candidly with me about the distractions hindering overall progress. We’re talking everything from proof-of-concept fatigue, to delayed migrations to cloud-based tools like SharePoint Online. On top of all that, constant vendor pivots were mentioned as a real challenge that spreading teams thin.
However, I was elated to hear customers also sharing success stories Firms with clear, focused approaches to knowledge access and data enrichment are realizing real value for their teams. For example, one firm shared their multi-year effort to clean and organize their document management system (DMS) content, significantly improving attorneys’ ability to find actionable insights.
One key point I want to emphasize: firms are finding their footing when it comes to balancing technological ambition with foundational readiness. Legal AI enablement can’t be built on outdated, siloed data structures. Successful firms have shifted to make legal AI enablement a top priority, helping them to build that foundation to align data integrity efforts with broader AI goals.
How Legal AI Enablement Drives Real Change
- Enhanced Governance: Ensuring comprehensive policies are paired with technology rollouts.
- Training Focus: Investing in mandatory ethics CLEs and role-specific training helps lawyers adopt tools with confidence.
- Data Readiness: Cleaning up “noise” in existing systems to feed AI projects clean, contextual data.
Evolving Strategies: Aligning People, Processes, and Platforms
Another standout topic during the evening was how law firms are pivoting their long-term strategies to incorporate AI technologies, including Microsoft Tools like Copilot. All in all, leaders around the room agreed on one core truth: AI functionality should enhance, not complicate, existing workflows.
They’re right, and that’s the kind of vision I’m all in for! Achieving real results shouldn’t be complicated, but here we are.
I’ve talked with many law firms over the past few years who are working furiously to develop strategies to integrate AI where attorneys work daily. The benefits of connectivity can’t be overstated, and unlocking knowledge from systems like Litera, iManage, and NetDocuments ensures minimal disruption while delivering maximum value.
Legal AI enablement isn’t just about buying the latest tools; it’s about weaving technology into the fabric of existing workflows and uncomplicating the process. But to make this happen with max results, leadership needs to forge an alignment between people, processes, and platforms to create value while balancing risks.
Firms should seriously consider governance, transparency, and operational alignment. People want to understand the “hows” and “whys”, at least at a surface level, and AI initiatives work best when attorneys and staff clearly understand the technology’s capabilities and how it safeguards sensitive data.
Long-Term Impact of Legal AI Enablement
- AI-Augmented Workflows: Using tools like Copilot to generate robust summaries, quickly analyze legal data, and automate administrative burdens to increase billable hours.
- Data Compliance by Design: AI governance policies are ensuring firms meet both their own expectations for security and their clients’ growing concerns over data usage.
- Strategic Team Shifts: Creating “AI champions” within firms who can evangelize adoption and troubleshoot processes to ensure value realization.
Onward! The Path Forward: Driving the Future of Legal AI Enablement
Throughout the customer roundtable, I found my excitement growing. There’s clearly been an acceleration in thinking here, and firm are starting to laser focus on the realization that foundational legal AI enablement is the only path forward for legal knowledge management.
As conversations drew to a close, it became clear to me: the firms we talked with that are already moving away from fragmented, reactive data practices to intentional, ambitious strategies are seeing those real results begin to materialize. Implementing AI is working for them because they did their due diligence. And they’re faster, knowledge is more accessible than ever, and they’re seeing the benefits of aligning their technology roadmaps with organizational goals.
Any AI-weary firms that are still out there should take note.
The future of legal knowledge management means the normalization of AI as part of standard legal operations. That’s the truth. Clients are demanding faster knowledge discovery, which means unified platforms that consolidate insights from across repositories are required. The shift is accelerating faster than you think.
But to make all this happen, firm culture needs to change alongside technological shifts Leaders must prioritize two things: education, and infrastructure. Firms that are unable to adequately prepare their attorneys and staff for the operational shift AI tools bring are risking failed user adoption and mixed AI project success. Or failure altogether.
What’s Next for Legal AI Enablement
- Technology with Transparency: Clients and governing agencies want to know how firms are using AI. Clear communication and robust governance are vital.
- Scalable Infrastructure: Successful legal AI enablement requires firms to invest in scalable, secure data storage and indexing systems.
- Seamless Connectivity: Future-forward legal knowledge management hinges on unlocking siloed data and connecting it to advanced AI systems.
Transforming Legal Operations Through AI Enablement
ILTA has always been a leader in bringing together ideas that drive our industry forward, and I can’t count how many incredible events I’ve attended over the years. ILTACON 2025 proved to me once again how vital it is to take the time to have these strategic conversations. Firms are talking, and those conversations are fueling trends that are transforming the way legal teams work. At BA Insight, we’re proud to support firms in turning their legal AI enablement ambitions into measurable results.
By helping firms embed AI seamlessly into workflows, improve their knowledge discovery processes, and create meaningful productivity gains, we’re not just helping firms keep up; we’re ensuring they stay ahead.
The future of legal knowledge management is profoundly exciting, but it demands strategy, infrastructure, and commitment. The way forward will challenge all of us, but with the right approach, we can transform how legal services operate.
Let’s keep the conversation going. Click the link to start now.
