Top Predictions and Trends for Legal Tech in 2025
Opinions on the Year Ahead from Leaders in the Legal Industry
The legal industry has undergone monumental changes in the past few years, with the introduction of generative AI marking a new era for the profession.
In 2025, with this and other technologies still finding their footing in the legal space, innovation will continue to unfold at a fast pace. We gathered the thoughts and opinions of leading voices in the law, to learn more about their outlook on where the legal industry is headed in 2025.
1. Hon. Allison Goddard: Generative AI comes for the courts in more ways than one
In 2025, courts and lawyers will need to consider how generative AI impacts jurors’ impressions of the judicial system. The vast majority of jurors will have had firsthand experience with generative AI—some positive, some negative. Many jurors will have an increased skepticism toward digital evidence as new stories and personal experiences with deep fakes permeate our culture. Courts and lawyers should address this through awareness and thoughtful jury instructions when digital evidence is at issue.
Courts will also begin to see generative AI incorporated into their workflows in a responsible way. Courts will continue to follow the lead of lawyers in adopting generative AI tools, but their use of them will proceed at a slower, more measured pace to ensure that use of this technology does not undercut public confidence in the judiciary. The reality of increasing caseloads and static or fewer judicial resources, however, will compel courts to find ways to promote efficiency without sacrificing the integrity of their work.
Hon. Allison Goddard, S.D. Cal
2. Chuck Kellner: Hyperlinked files will catch up to the rest of ediscovery
Hyperlinks have long been a hot-button issue in the world of ediscovery, but it hasn’t stopped people from continuing to send messages with them. In 2025, more judges than not will recognize that the message and the linked content are intrinsically the intended intellectual unit. Technology will catch up to give the proportionality arguments less impact.
Additionally, tech-savvy lawyers will continue to be in great demand in 2025. They’ll help law firms and law departments engineer the prompts and workflows they need to leverage generative AI and other emerging technologies. Fewer lawyers worry that technology is coming for their jobs, and are embracing technology to gain a competitive advantage.
Chuck Kellner, Strategic Discovery Advisor, Everlaw
3. Stephanie Corey: Generative AI will move from experimentation to mainstream
As we move through 2025, one of the most transformative trends in the legal industry is the mainstreaming of generative AI.
The groundwork laid in 2024 and before—streamlining processes, cleansing data, and prioritizing objectives—sets the stage for smarter people and tech investments in 2025. UpLevel Ops expects smarter organizational design where legal teams augment their resources with flexible talent, as well as continued advancements in AI-powered tools, particularly in contracting and workflow automation. This will empower legal teams to align technology with broader business objectives, as well as automated assistants that support both legal teams and their clients.
As law firms increasingly adopt generative AI, we anticipate a shift away from traditional hourly billing models. Instead, approaches like value-based pricing and alternative fee arrangements are likely to take hold. The efficiencies driven by generative AI will render hourly billing less relevant, pushing the industry toward pricing strategies that better align with the value delivered.
In short, 2025 is the year for action, and legal operations professionals are well-positioned to be the drivers of this change.
Stephanie Corey, CEO and Founder, UpLevel Ops
4. Gloria Lee: Fees will (justifiably) continue to rise, but not without resistance
My prediction for 2025 is that fees for top outside counsel will continue to rise—and clients will choose to continue to pay them—as generative AI adoption further equips superstar firms with superior knowledge and empowers lawyers to move faster than their opposition.
Law firms that can deliver superior results and faster time to resolution by tapping generative AI will be able to command commensurate fees at all levels of counsel by: (1) replacing legal work that can be commoditized, especially tasks that are now largely manual; (2) super-powering all legal professionals to be more efficient and more accurate, speeding the discovery of critical facts and evidence; and (3) highlighting those instances where AI is not yet good enough to replace the experience, judgment, and nuance that the best lawyers bring.
At the same, I predict that not all external counsel fees will skyrocket without client resistance. On the contrary, I believe tasks indicated in point (1) above, such as document review and first-pass contract development, will become fixed-fee projects or even free of charge.
The bottom line: In 2025, service fees at the high end will go up, and at the low end will go down. Across the board, when law firms can leverage generative AI tools to deliver superior business value, I predict clients will agree that the end will justify the fees.
Gloria Lee, Chief Legal Officer, Everlaw
5. Joanne Sprague: Legal tech companies will help lead the charge for increased access to justice through generative AI
This year, I predict that more legal tech companies that care about access to justice will take their commitments a step further by offering generative AI tools at free and discounted rates to users who are at the front lines of addressing the justice gap. Equitable and affordable access to the latest AI technology these companies have to offer will help ensure that AI helps to narrow rather than widen the justice gap, in which 92% of civil legal problems encountered by low income Americans go unresolved.
Some companies have already started to lead the way in providing free access to their AI tools, including Thomson Reuter's CoCounsel, Relativity's aiR for Review, and EverlawAI Assistant. Empowering legal aid organizations and pro bono practitioners with affordable AI-powered tools like these will enable them to deliver more efficient, accurate, and impactful assistance to underserved communities.
Joanne Sprague, Director, Everlaw for Good
6. Kathy Enstrom: Generative AI will make its way into the federal space
In 2025, generative AI will solidify its shift from novelty to necessity in the legal field. Federal agents and attorneys in criminal cases, traditionally cautious adopters of new technology, are increasingly open to defense teams leveraging generative AI for ediscovery document review of subpoenaed records. This growing acceptance stems from the dual need to process records promptly and offer cost-effective solutions for clients. By automating data analysis and accelerating review processes, generative AI empowers both sides to efficiently manage the ever-increasing volume of information in complex criminal investigations.
Beyond criminal matters, generative AI is also set to revolutionize civil litigation and regulatory investigations, significantly streamlining ediscovery and enhancing access to justice. Pro bono attorneys, pro se litigants, and legal aid organizations stand to gain from AI-driven tools that simplify legal processes and reduce costs. As generative AI’s capabilities gain broader acceptance, it will redefine legal workflows and unlock unprecedented opportunities for innovation and efficiency in the legal profession.
Kathy Enstrom, Director of Investigations, Moore Tax Law Group
