In the race to integrate Generative AI into business functions, many legal departments are still at the starting line.
That might feel prudent. But in this moment of technological shift, waiting is its own risk.
Legal work has always been high-stakes, but it is also becoming increasingly high-volume and high-velocity.
Legal teams are handling repetitive internal questions, reviewing low-risk contracts, and managing service requests, often while being asked to do more with fewer resources.
Generative AI provides a way to alleviate that pressure without compromising quality. The question isn’t whether the technology is prepared; the question is whether we are.
The Reputation of Being "Last"
Legal’s caution is often rooted in culture. Tradition, confidentiality, and a lack of clear regulatory guidance surrounding AI all make a strong case for proceeding with care.
Unlike other highly regulated industries, Legal does not have a centralized body that certifies emerging technologies. In the absence of such oversight, we tend to default to precedent. We wait to see what others do first.
But in that wait, legal loses the opportunity to define governance, set standards, and lead cross-functional strategy. When legal lags behind, we inherit decisions instead of influencing them.
This moment presents something rare: An opportunity for Legal to lead change across the organization. That almost never happens.
It creates new leadership opportunities within legal operations and puts legal leadership on the radar of the broader enterprise in a positive, forward-looking way.
What Early Adoption Looks Like
Early adoption doesn’t mean automating litigation strategy or letting AI negotiate contracts. It means piloting AI tools in focused, low-risk environments.
One of the easiest points of entry? Internal FAQ automation.
Legal teams can train AI tools to respond to questions about policies, signature authority, training, and contract workflows, questions that often bog down response times but don’t require in-depth legal analysis.
These quick wins build credibility and confidence, creating space for bigger bets. Better yet, they deliver measurable impact fast: reduced intake volume, faster responses, and more time for meaningful work.
This is where many teams start to see not just increased productivity, but increased work joy. When you give your team back their time, they use it wisely, and often more happily.
Reframing the Risk
One of the most overlooked risks is the cost of doing nothing. Delay creates disconnects between Legal and the rest of the business, where AI is already being implemented.
Silos grow, data becomes fragmented, and Legal forfeits its role in shaping AI governance.
Being first doesn’t mean being reckless. It means you get to set the guardrails. It means influencing which tools are adopted and how they are rolled out.
Navigating Resistance
Introducing Generative AI often raises valid concerns, such as data privacy, job displacement, and loss of control. But resistance tends to fade when people see the benefits firsthand.
Faster responses, fewer repetitive requests, and more bandwidth for strategic work are persuasive outcomes.
It helps to engage stakeholders early and transparently. Explain what AI can and cannot do. Start with pilot projects that demonstrate value without increasing risk.
Most importantly, be proactive about working with IT and InfoSec. Collaborating from the start gives Legal a seat at the table when decisions are made about which tools are approved for use across the company.
Otherwise, you’re stuck using what you’re told to use, if anything at all. Some legal teams are already pushing back against restrictions that severely limit even the most basic use of foundational AI.
It’s Not About Replacement
The fear that AI will replace lawyers is real but largely misplaced. The most valuable asset that legal professionals bring is their judgment, nuance, and ability to navigate ambiguity.
AI isn’t replacing that. It is replacing the parts of the job that make lawyers feel like robots.
Recent research from the University of Minnesota and the University of Michigan law schools adds weight to this.
In a first-of-its-kind study involving 127 law students who completed real-world assignments, researchers found that those using AI tools, such as OpenAI’s o1-preview or Vincent AI, produced higher-quality work in half the time.
“This is the first empirical evidence that AI tools can consistently and significantly enhance the quality of human lawyers' work across various realistic legal assignments,” the researchers noted.
Notably, OpenAI’s o1-preview model improved quality across tasks by up to 28% while boosting productivity by as much as 140%. That’s not a slight edge, that’s a fundamental shift in how legal work gets done.
The study also found that domain-specific AI tools, such as Vincent AI, which utilize Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), reduced hallucinations and improved clarity and professionalism.
AI tools are not only helping teams move faster, but they are also making work better.
The Window Is Now
There is a narrow window where Legal can be both cautious and bold, where we can shape the future rather than reacting to it.
That moment is now. You don’t have to bet the farm. But you do have to take the first step.
Start with the foundational use cases. Partner early with IT and InfoSec. Capture early wins and share them widely.
And remember, this isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about elevating the role of legal teams in a way we rarely get to do.
Let’s not miss it.