‘The idea isn’t to make radical change overnight’: How to lead through legal tech disruption

While there remains some apprehension within the profession about how the rise of technology might reshape the role of the lawyer, a recent report from Dye & Durham recently revealed that in 2024, firms will turn to AI more and more in a bid to keep talent and drive efficiency.

AI is now a necessity for law firms seeking to boost productivity in an increasingly crowded market – while those who don’t, risk being outpaced by the competition. These rapid technological changes and ongoing disruption have introduced a level of uncertainty that firms must carefully navigate.

A new type of lawyer

In terms of the automation of routine legal tasks, Stephen Annicchiarico, director at WRP Legal, expressed that there is an increased expectation for lawyers to focus more on critical thinking and problem solving.

“[As] many of the routine tasks that lawyers would traditionally undertake (e.g. document reviews, precedent searches, discovery, due diligence, etc.) [are] likely to become automated, greater emphasis will be placed on critical thinking, problem solving, and advisory services,” he said.

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“As a result, the role of a lawyer will evolve from a technical legal expert to more of a strategic advisor who blends their expert legal knowledge with insights from data, technology and a broader understanding of commercial realities.”

Jill Schornack, vice president of product at NetDocuments, added that legal technology is enabling lawyers to work more quickly and with greater accuracy by freeing them from time-consuming manual tasks.

“Lawyers have always provided strategic guidance, but too much of their time is still consumed by manual tasks and hunting for information they already have. AI is helping shift that dynamic – not by replacing legal expertise, but by amplifying it,” she said.

“That means lawyers can respond with speed and precision, grounded in the best of what the firm already knows. The result isn’t just efficiency – it’s elevated client service.”

Zahn Nel, regional vice president, Australia and New Zealand, at Actionstep, echoed these sentiments, emphasising that leveraging automation enables lawyers to dedicate more time to developing their practice and enhancing service delivery.

“Legal tech empowers lawyers to spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time building a high-performing, client-focused business. By leveraging smart workflows and automation, lawyers can run more efficient operations, deliver a better client experience, and build their firm advantage,” Nel said.

However, Gary Adler, chief digital officer at MinterEllison, acknowledged that while legal technology is driving a significant transformation in the role of lawyers, he stressed that it “is an extension of human capability, not a replacement” of the work they perform.

Unlocking opportunities without compromising standards

Firms that implement legal technology strategically can unlock significant benefits, particularly in streamlining operations and enhancing productivity. As Nel observed, legal tech “unlocks new levels of efficiency, visibility, and collaboration” for legal practices.

“It helps firms deliver faster, more transparent services, while also giving leaders real-time insights to drive better decisions,” he said.

Adler highlighted that MinterEllison has adopted legal technology to capitalise on the opportunities it offers across multiple aspects of its service delivery.

“We use legal tech as a key enabler to the firm’s overarching strategy, in particular, we use technology to enable and enhance the client experience, to improve lawyer productivity, and to lift our people’s experience by providing access to the latest and most advanced legal tech tools,” he said.

Echoing this, Annicchiarico highlighted that the implementation of legal technology offers law firms critical opportunities to enhance multiple facets of their service delivery, all without compromising the quality or integrity of their legal expertise.

“Legal tech presents significant opportunit[ies] for law firms to maximise speed and efficiency, reduce costs and ensure consistency, without compromising service quality. It also improves certainty in service scope and associated fees, which can strengthen client trust,” he said.

“At a broader level, legal tech may enable new service delivery models and the development of legal-specific products, which may not have been feasible in the past.”

However, alongside these benefits come important risks that partners must carefully consider to ensure their teams are adequately supported, particularly when it comes to the potential over-reliance on legal technology.

Two of these key risks, Annicchiarico said, are the risk of inaccurate or misleading outputs from AI tools and the potential erosion of essential legal skills among junior lawyers.

“There have already been numerous instances of non-existent cases (deriving from AI platforms) being cited in court documents. Therefore, human oversight and regular reviews are essential to minimise such risks,” he said.

“Drafting, reviewing and refining documents are essential to shaping a junior lawyer’s ability to structure arguments, and exercise sound judgement. An over-reliance on such technology in the early stages of a career may materially impact the development of fundamental legal skills for the next generation of lawyers.”

Given the broad array of legal technology solutions available, Schornack cautioned that a fragmented approach to adoption of legal technology can ultimately impede law firms, resulting in workflow inefficiencies and considerable time lost for lawyers.

“Legal professionals rely on a connected ecosystem of different technology solutions – typically including document management systems (DMS), practice management and email. This can be both a boon and a barrier when adopting advanced technologies like AI,” she said.

“If AI is adopted in a haphazard way, with multiple standalone tools, it can result in a complex network of siloed point solutions. Forcing legal professionals to toggle between different standalone AI tools degrades user experience and costs lawyers significant time. It also increases business risk as extracting and sharing data with different tools opens up new vulnerabilities that will potentially undermine ongoing data security.”

Practical steps for leaders

So, how can law firm partners successfully guide their teams through the complexities of legal tech disruption?

According to Schornack, the key to successful technology adoption in law firms “doesn’t start with an IT rollout”, but rather, it begins with identifying and empowering “practice team champions”.

“Partners should identify respected voices within their teams who are curious, open to change, and willing to lead by example. These champions can stress-test new tools in real workflows and demonstrate value to peers in a way that feels authentic, not forced,” she said.

By leveraging early adopters, Schornack expressed that these champions play a crucial role in delivering early insights and measurable outcomes.

“Early usage is the strongest indicator of future ROI – so rather than waiting for long-term metrics, track engagement from day one. If lawyers aren’t using it, they’re not getting value – and neither is the firm. Focus adoption efforts where the work is happening, and let real usage guide the pace of change,” she said.

Nel echoed this sentiment, emphasising that before rushing to adopt “more advanced and shiny” legal technologies, firms should first take the time to “evaluate and optimise their existing systems”.

“Think about how you can improve your current processes, create opportunities for automation and AI in your current tools – this sets the stage for meaningful, lasting improvements,” he said.

“Partners should set a clear vision, involve staff early, and invest in training and change management. Appoint tech champions, track progress, and celebrate small wins to build momentum and foster buy-in.”

After recognising that technology adoption would be critical to lawyers’ ongoing effectiveness, Adler shared that MinterEllison has developed its own internal Digital Academy, along with a blockchain-based rewards system called Mintcoin, to incentivise and support participation in digital learning.

“Lawyers needed to build digital dexterity at pace to keep up with the exponential impact tech was having on our sector. We created a Digital Academy with incentives and rewards, including our very own blockchain-based digital currency, Mintcoin,” he said.

However, Adler acknowledged that each partner is on their own unique “adoption path” when it comes to implementing legal technology and navigating the broader challenges of digital disruption.

Helpful advice

Adler’s advice to partners hesitant to lead their teams through legal tech disruption was to view it not as a threat, but as an opportunity to enhance the way they deliver legal services.

“My advice would be to approach any new technologies, including AI, not as a threat, but as tools that can strengthen the way they serve clients, as well as move themselves up the value chain, working on the most complex elements of a matter, while technology takes care of the more mundane tasks,” he said.

“The idea isn’t to make radical change overnight, but rather, being curious and starting small. Start by asking a readily available AI tool, like Microsoft Copilot, to help you organise your emails, or proofread a letter, and once you understand what’s possible, you can build on this in other aspects of your work,” he said.

Schornack agreed, urging partners to keep their focus on outcomes and how technology can support the firm’s broader goals, rather than becoming fixated on the technology itself.

“Focus primarily on outcomes rather than technology. Set out on a mission to improve client service, reduce burnout, or elevate the quality of work enables – and explore how technology can support those goals,” she said.

“Being realistic, this wholesale shift won’t happen overnight – by finding clear use cases and proving the benefits to the team, they will buy into the change that needs to happen.”

While the current wave of technological change may seem radical, Annicchiarico encouraged partners to place it in historical context, reminding them that the legal profession has successfully navigated major shifts before.

“Law firms were once hesitant to use the internet – now, it underpins everything we do. Partners should not view legal tech disruption as a threat to our profession but rather an opportunity to improve the way that we deliver legal services,” he said.

He stressed that partners don’t need to be experts in every new technological development, but they do need to cultivate a culture that welcomes and explores innovation.

“Partners do not necessarily need to be experts in the latest and greatest technology, but they need to foster a culture whereby emerging technologies are understood, explored and embraced, especially as junior lawyers (who may be more attuned to such technologies) are often strong, positive contributors to the process,” he said.

“Firms that do not, will be left behind.”

For Nel, the key to overcoming hesitation lies in taking small, deliberate steps and focusing on tangible results that address real problems.

“Start small. Focus on solving real problems, gather feedback from your teams, and prioritise tools that deliver visible impact quickly but have long-term value-add. The biggest risk is doing nothing,” he said.

He highlighted shifting client expectations as a key reason for partners to embrace change, ensuring they can effectively address and serve their clients.

“Today’s clients compare their legal service to every other experience, from food delivery to their online banking app. They expect speed, transparency, visibility, and convenience. Technology isn’t about replacing legal expertise; it’s about amplifying it,” he said.

“Approach it with curiosity, lean on your technology partners, and remember that the goal is to make work easier and outcomes better for everyone. Look for opportunities that help your people work smarter, delight clients, and create firm-wide advantage.”

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