ILTACON 2025 brought together legal technology leaders at a pivotal moment. Excitement about the possibilities of AI Search in the legal sector has been dialed up to 11 all year, but this is the event that officially locked it in: firms are done with AI in theory, and all eyes are focused on moving from experimentation to real, measurable results.
Conversations in the halls and sessions weren’t just about what AI could do for firms, but what it is already doing to transform daily work for legal professionals. Firms already finding success are sharing proof points on how they’re making AI practical, secure, and valuable for everyday work.
At BA Insight, we were privileged to contribute to these vital discussions. Through our panels, roundtables, and one-on-one meetings, we connected with CIOs, IT managers, and knowledge management leaders who are actively shaping the future of their firms by accelerating findability.
Session Highlights
During ILTACON 2025, members from the BA Insight team were privileged to contribute to the event’s vital discussions on legal innovation during these sessions.
Navigating the Do’s and Don’ts of M365 Copilot
One of the most prominent topics at ILTACON was the implementation of Microsoft 365 Copilot. In a session titled “Navigating the Do’s and Don’ts of M365 Copilot,” our own Jason McCullagh joined experts from Microsoft, Netrix Global, and Baker McKenzie to move beyond the hype and discuss real-world rollout strategies.
The panel addressed the critical questions firms are asking. How can we drive adoption without friction? What are the common pitfalls to avoid? Jason emphasized one key point: the power of Copilot is limited if it can only access data within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. To realize the full benefits of Copilot beyond Microsoft 365, it must securely connect to the vast knowledge stored in systems like iManage, NetDocuments, and SharePoint to deliver a comprehensive, firm-wide view of knowledge. Extending Copilot into your ecosystem transforms it from a highly useful tool to an indispensable asset for attorneys and staff.
Embracing the New Wave of Knowledge Management
The rise of AI has reignited the conversation around Knowledge Management (KM), positioning it as a strategic foundation for innovation. In an engaging session Kim Stein explored how automation, AI, and drafting tools are reshaping traditional KM practices. The discussion centered on how to balance innovation with governance, align people and technology for long-term success, and reignite enthusiasm for KM in the AI era.
Kim shared how preparing and enriching data is critical for ensuring that AI tools deliver accurate and secure insights. As Kim noted, insights delivered by AI tools are entirely dependent on the quality of the underlying data. That’s another reinforcement behind why a modern KM strategy needs to go well beyond simply storing information to making it “AI-ready.”
KM In Action: Priorities, Progress & The Path Forward
Together with our partners at Atlas by ClearPeople, we hosted a private roundtable where leaders from Stradley Ronon, Foley & Lardner, and other industry-leading firms shared perspectives on priorities, challenges, and opportunities for AI innovation.
The dialogue was a deep dive into the practical realities of legal innovation. Attendees discussed where they are focusing their investments, the barriers that remain, and how AI is fundamentally reshaping strategic initiatives. The insights from this session were so valuable that we compiled them into a comprehensive recap. You can explore top takeaways from this session to understand how leading firms are navigating the path forward.
Read the Roundtable Recap Blog
Key Themes That Defined ILTACON 2025
Across every session and conversation, consistent themes emerged that we already have on our radar. Here are a four topics that will shape the legal tech landscape in the coming year.
1. Flexibility in LLM Strategy
Generative AI moves fast, and firms need the ability to pivot their LLM strategy as the landscape changes. After all, the best LLM today may not be a frontrunner tomorrow. That means being technologically nimble is important, and firms are seeking out platforms that prioritize flexibility, so they won’t get locked into one LLM used by a single vendor.
2. Data Quality and Preparation
Firms understand now that the value of Copilot and other AI tools depends entirely on the quality of their underlying data. If knowledge is siloed, incomplete, or poorly managed, the results from tools like Copilot will be unreliable and potentially risky. That means firms are scrutinizing data quality and escalating it from a technical concern to a strategic must-have.
3. Moving Beyond Simple Search
Firms aren’t talking about basic information retrieval anymore. Rather than simply connecting information, firms want to know how to put their knowledge to work. Getting there means taking on data enrichment and augmentation, including intelligent classification, adding metadata, and ensuring permission-aware access so that both people and AI can make use of it effectively.
4. Focus on ROI
Firms are moving past pilots and proofs of concept, and the era of experimentation is quickly coming to an end. Investments in AI are being judged by measurable business value. Whatever a firm’s primary use for AI may be, whether it’s streamlining legal operations, boosting productivity, or enhancing client service, the new top priority getting to the proof, by seeing tangible, measurable results for their AI investments.
Moving Forward after ILTACON
The discussions at ILTACON 2025 reinforced the core of what we do at BA Insight, and it reaffirms our commitment to helping firms make their AI ambitions a reality. We believe that AI success starts with accelerating findability and banishing information silos. But this also includes extending Copilot across critical systems, enriching knowledge with classification and metadata, and enabling secure, permission-aware access to knowledge that is AI-ready. It’s all part of that future-focused, holistic legal AI enablement solution.
ILTACON may be behind us, but the dialogue is just beginning. Explore more insights, including our joint roundtable recap with ClearPeople, or connect with our team to learn how BA Insight can support your firm’s AI strategy. Click the link to start now.
