How Legal Teams are Using AI to Reduce Workload by 22%
With 2025 ushering in a new era of AI-powered legal operations, forward thinking legal teams are discovering the strategic implementation of AI isn’t just incrementally improving efficiency - it is fundamentally transforming how legal professionals spend their time, reducing routine workloads and allowing lawyers to focus on high-value, strategic work that truly drives client success.
McKinsey estimates that 22% of a lawyer's job and 35% of a law clerk's job can be automated using current AI technologies.
Let’s Have an Honest Conversation About the Industry
The legal industry’s traditional reputation for cautious adoption of new technology has given way to a remarkable wave of innovation, driven by mounting pressure to deliver more value to clients while managing ever-growing volumes of data and documentation.
Legal professionals that once viewed AI with scepticism are now embracing it as an indispensable ally in their quest to stay competitive and deliver exceptional client service!
In fact, in an industry where every billable hour counts, the math is compelling - Legal Teams implementing AI solutions are reporting that tasks that once consumed entire workdays can be now completed before the morning coffee gets cold.
Basic AI Tool Won’t Cut It
The million-dollar question here is how to leverage AI most effectively. While some firms dabble with basic chatbots and off-the-shelf AI tools, true transformation requires a more sophisticated approach. Industry leaders are integrating custom-trained AI models directly into their practice management systems, implementing intelligent automation across their entire workflow, and developing bespoke solutions that go far beyond simple document review. These pioneering firms are setting new standard for client services and operational excellence
Here’s What AI Can Do for Your Practice:
Advanced Document Review & Analysis
Advanced AI Systems can simultaneously analyse thousands of documents, identifying subtle patterns and relationships that human reviewers might miss. They can detect inconsistencies across contract versions, flag potential compliance issues, and highlight unusual clauses that require special attention.
For example: NetDocuments' ndMAX Assist brings precision and efficiency to document management, offering AI-driven capabilities that transform how legal teams interact with their content:
Semantic Search & Queries: Easily search for information and interact with documents using conversational commands, enabling quicker access to key content and insights directly within NetDocuments.
Automated Document Summaries & Drafting: Summarise lengthy documents and automate the drafting of responses or revisions, without needing to transfer content to external platforms, ensuring a seamless workflow within the secure NetDocuments environment.
Data Extraction & Intelligent Pattern Recognition: Leverage advanced tools to extract and analyse data across large document sets, with increased accuracy and confidence, identifying patterns and critical elements that aid decision-making.
These tools are designed to streamline your workflows, increase productivity, and allow your legal team to focus on strategic work rather than manual document review.
Intelligent Contract Review
AI is also able to revolutionise the contract review process by seamlessly integrating advanced tools directly into your workflow. Key capabilities include:
Real-Time Issue Identification: The assistant quickly flags inconsistencies, missing clauses, or deviations from predefined templates, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
Automated Summaries and Timeline Creation: It generates concise document summaries and detailed timelines, making it easier to grasp critical points and track key milestones.
Contextual Insights and Recommendations: Leveraging AI, the tool provides actionable insights, suggests improvements, and identifies potential risks, all within the secure NetDocuments environment.
By eliminating repetitive tasks and reducing manual effort, AI empowers legal professionals to focus on high-value strategic work, enabling faster, smarter decision-making.
Intelligent Call Summaries & Time Tracking
Time is a lawyer’s most valuable asset. AI is able to prevent leakage and save firms hours on administrative tasks that you might not otherwise realise (i.e. Voicemail transcription or call tagging).
AI-Powered Call Summaries: AI generates concise, actionable summaries of phone calls, highlighting key information and eliminating the need to manually review entire recordings.
Seamless Integration with Practice Management Systems: Automatically save AI-generated summaries to your relevant cases or matters in PMS’s like Actionstep, streamlining case documentation and enhancing practice management.
Check out VXT’s AI functionality: AI Summaries | VXT Phone System Features
Making AI Work for You (Not the Other Way Around)
The secret to success with AI isn't about chasing every shiny new tool that hits the market. It's about being strategic and intentional. Ask yourself:
What repetitive tasks are eating up your valuable time?
Where could you use a second set of eyes?
What repetitive tasks could be automated to give you more strategic thinking time?
Start small and focus on solutions that truly impact your practice. The goal isn’t to overhaul everything overnight—it’s about gradually enhancing your work life with smarter, more efficient tools that allow you to focus on what matters most.
Looking Ahead…
The future of your practice is about regaining control of your time and energy by eliminating the tedious tasks that slow you down. With AI, you can say goodbye to the endless document comparisons, the tedious contract reviews, and those late-night citation checks.
At Verlata Consulting, we specialise in helping legal professionals harness the power of AI to streamline operations, and we are led by experts. Whether it’s implementing AI solutions or tailoring them to meet your firm’s unique needs, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.
Ready to take the next step? Let’s have a conversation about how AI can elevate your practice, simplify your workload, and help you work smarter—not harder. Contact us today to start making your work life easier and more efficient.