The Cost of Delaying Legal AI Adoption

Legal teams are notoriously slow adopters of new technology. Lawyers are trained to minimize risk, and many, if not most, legal professionals consider cutting-edge tech like artificial intelligence too risky to adopt.

Those legal pros are now officially behind the curve.

Here are three real reasons to stop waiting and start embracing AI ASAP.

Adopting AI for legal is already gaining steam

About a third of legal pros are already using AI, and that number increases every day.

According to the 2024 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report, AI adoption in the legal profession nearly tripled, from 11% in 2023 to 30% in 2024. Even more telling, 13% of legal professionals now believe AI is already mainstream – up from just 4% a year ago.

That’s not a trend. That’s a transformation.

If your legal team hasn’t started using AI tools to review contracts, generate insights, or automate repetitive tasks, the gap between your team and others in the market is only getting wider.

AI has already found its legal use case

Let’s be clear: AI isn’t here to replace legal professionals; it’s here to augment them. While AI software can't act like a full-fledged lawyer, it can take over all the worst parts of the job.

AI thrives on repetitive, time-consuming tasks: think contract analysis, compliance tracking, and document summarization. It’s not about replacing legal judgment -- it’s about freeing up time so attorneys can focus on higher-value strategy and decision-making.

In fact, Thomson Reuters' 2024 Future of Professionals Report predicts that AI could free up four hours per week for legal professionals. That’s over 200 hours a year that your team could redirect toward business-critical work.

Please don't take our word for it; ask LinkSquares’ customers. OutSystems reduced contract completion time by over 30% and Commvault slashed sales contract time-to-close by 50% by adopting our legal AI solutions.

These aren’t anomalies; they’re the new benchmarks.

If your competitors are using AI to close deals faster, reduce risk, and scale legal support without increasing headcount, they’re not just working faster -- they’re working smarter. Falling behind now could mean playing catch-up for years to come.

AI can see patterns some professionals can't

You don't know what you don't know, but AI just might. Legal teams sit on a goldmine of data -- but most of it goes unused.

AI tools can surface trends, identify recurring risks, and provide analytics that inform both legal and business strategy. Whether you’re trying to identify bottlenecks in contract cycles or spot clauses that slow down negotiations, AI can give you answers you didn’t even know to ask.

In short: AI transforms legal operations from reactive to proactive.

The time for AI is now

AI isn’t just the future of legal work – it’s the present – and legal leaders who wait risk being left behind. Your competition is already proving that AI can speed up contract cycles, improve accuracy, reduce risk, and scale operations, all without sacrificing quality.

If you’re ready to get more done with less and position your legal team for long-term success, contact LinkSquares today.