Step onto the ILTACON 2025 floor, and it’s clear to see the legal tech market has never been busier, or more alive with possibility. This year, something shifted and the conference was about more than technology. AI stole the spotlight, but the previous ominous tone of risk and caution was replaced by bold experimentation and demonstration. The question now: how to embed AI into workflows, drive efficiencies across practice and business operations, and turn the potential of AI into measurable impact.
From educational sessions, the keynotes, client events, and informal conversations in the hallways, here’s my takeaways on where the industry is headed next.
AI Moves from Risk to Results
AI has now fully crossed the threshold from “is it safe?” to “how do we use it best?” This year’s conversations zeroed in on embedding AI into workflows that drive both practice efficiency and back- and middle-office performance. The focus has shifted from broad, exploratory pilots to discrete, high-impact use cases: automating parts of time entry, streamlining proforma reviews, ensuring outside counsel guideline compliance, and improving billing processes to capture unrealized revenue.
The next generation of early movers will go further: integrating AI into end-to-end workflows so that the right tool is applied at the right stage, at the right time, to deliver meaningful gains in client service and employee experience. Meaningful integration across platforms and tools has never been more important.
The Data-Driven Imperative
The need for dynamic, data-informed automation and business intelligence has eclipsed many firms’ current capabilities. Conversations about AI quickly looped back to the state of firms’ data—underscoring that the rush to improve data quality is real. Most are navigating the “messy middle” between scattered, inconsistent information and the goal of accurate, actionable insights powering data-enabled workflows.
Across the board, clean, well-governed data, a thoughtful cloud migration strategy, and realistic long-term cost planning are emerging as the non-negotiables for any firm looking to fully realize the promise of AI.
Fierce Competition, Crowded Categories
From contract and document drafting platforms to collaboration tools, the marketplace is bursting with entrants. Established providers are working hard to showcase AI strength while defending trusted relationships; nimble startups are competing to stand out with sharper points of differentiation. In some categories, the number of options makes nuance hard to discern.
The exhibit hall reflected both the breadth and the buzz—startups across every segment layering “AI” into their signage and even some of their names! It felt reminiscent of the early days of e-discovery, when every booth promised the next big breakthrough. Today we know, e-discovery changed the game forever. With AI, specifically generative AI, I believe the impact will be exponentially greater, so much so, that we can’t even imagine the possibilities.
Implementation as the Real Differentiator
In this environment, tool selection matters, but implementation matters more. Over and over, the refrain was: implementation is critical. Firms that align IT, finance, and operations, integrate new systems into existing processes, and invest in thoughtful change management will see the most impact. This is where Harbor’s Integrations as a Service offering helps clients move from great shoppers to great implementers and innovators.
Evolving Compliance, Cultural Change, and Governance
Technology adoption isn’t just a technical challenge, it’s cultural. Firms are navigating a generational mix of adoption styles, evolving compliance requirements across jurisdictions, and the growing need for governance frameworks. Many are prioritizing migration of conflict and intake systems to better meet cross-border regulatory demands. AI governance—what to use, when to use it, and how to align it with firm policies—should now be a standing item on leadership agendas.
What’s Next
One area still underexplored is how these advances will reshape commercial models for legal services. As technology changes delivery, pricing models and value propositions will have to adapt, and that shift is coming.
The pace of change remains both exhilarating and exhausting. But for law firms and legal departments that commit to getting the fundamentals right, managing the messy middle, and aligning people, process, and technology, the opportunities for sustainable advantage have never been greater, and with ILTACON 2025 now behind us, we’re just getting started.
- AI
- Integrated tech
- Legal operations
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