‘Rethinking how legal work gets done’: Q&A with Tecala
AI continues to greatly impact the profession, with “frontier firms” using emerging technology to drive stronger client outcomes. Here, Shaun Leisegang, Chief Automation, Data and AI Officer at technology services company Tecala, speaks to Lawyers Weekly about Tecala’s AI Agent Dream Team solution and how firms can position themselves as frontier firms in the next few years.
What is the AI Agent Dream Team?
Tecala’s AI Agent Dream Team combines the power of Robots, AI Agents, and People to reimagine how legal work gets done. Each agent is trained for a specialised mission: from triaging inbound client emails and redacting sensitive information to ensuring compliance, to verifying counterparties in transactions and generating on-brand legal content for client communications. Organised into mission-critical domains, the Dream Team helps firms reduce risk, safeguard confidentiality, and accelerate workflows, freeing lawyers to focus on strategy, advocacy, and delivering stronger client outcomes.
How does each agent help firms with specific challenges such as compliance, confidentiality, and client communication? What does this look like in practice?
Each AI Agent is trained for a specialised mission. For example, Redactr automatically removes sensitive client information from documents, ensuring confidentiality and compliance. Vettr validates counterparties or suppliers, reducing exposure to risk in transactions. Front-office agents triage client emails and draft consistent communications, improving responsiveness without adding to workload. Together, these agents address pressure points across a legal practice, making workflows faster, more secure, and more reliable while giving lawyers more time to focus on client strategy and advocacy.
What distinguishes a “frontier firm” from traditional automation-driven organisations, and how does Tecala’s AI Agent Dream Team enable that leap?
Frontier firms aren’t defined by size or sector, they’re the ones rethinking how legal work gets done. While traditional firms use automation for repetitive tasks like document assembly, frontier firms combine the strengths of Robots, AI Agents, and People to create smarter, faster, and more adaptive workflows. With Tecala’s AI Agent Dream Team, law firms can deploy specialised agents for tasks like redacting privileged information, triaging client emails, or verifying counterparties. The result is improved compliance, sharper risk management, and stronger client outcomes, the hallmarks of a frontier legal practice.
In what ways can AI Agents strengthen client service and create a competitive edge for law firms?
Client service today is measured by responsiveness, accuracy, and the ability to manage risk. AI Agents support this in practical ways. For example, a triage agent can scan and categorise incoming client emails, flagging urgent matters so lawyers respond immediately. A redaction agent can automatically remove privileged or personal data before documents are shared, protecting confidentiality. In due diligence, review agents can highlight anomalies in large data sets, helping lawyers uncover risks sooner. By combining faster turnaround with stronger compliance assurance, firms not only improve client experience but also demonstrate reliability and innovation - two qualities that directly drive competitive advantage.
How do you measure ROI and success, and what kind of value does the AI Agent Dream Team deliver to legal practices?
ROI is measured by time saved, reduced billable leakage, and improved matter turnaround. For example, Tecala’s own deployment of multiple agents equated to the output of four full-time staff in a year. For law firms, success also includes lower compliance risk, improved client satisfaction, and more capacity for high-value work. The AI Agent Dream Team delivers measurable efficiency and profitability, but its broader value lies in reshaping workflows so firms can deliver better outcomes with greater confidence and resilience.
Looking ahead, how do you see AI Agents evolving in the legal industry, and what might the ‘Dream Team’ look like for firms in 3–5 years?
In the next 3–5 years, AI Agents will evolve from supporting isolated tasks to operating as a coordinated ecosystem across practice management, compliance, and client engagement. For law firms, this could mean real-time compliance monitoring, proactive risk alerts, and client communications tailored by intelligent agents. The Dream Team will become an integrated layer of intelligence that strengthens confidentiality, improves accuracy, and supports seamless workflows. Far from being background tools, AI Agents will be trusted digital colleagues embedded in every matter.
Tecala is an Australian-owned managed services partner supporting mid-market businesses across many industries. We specialise in transforming the traditionally complex adoption of technology into agile, strategic solutions that deliver measurable outcomes. By combining deep expertise with a proven methodology, we help organisations improve the way they work, strengthen resilience, and achieve long-term transformation. For more than two decades, Tecala has partnered with mid-market organisations to harness technology that enables them to adapt, compete, and thrive.
