Navigating the Tides of Change

In the legal world, change can feel like steering a massive ship—slow to turn and often met with headwinds. At ILTACON 2025, attendees got an early look at ILTA’s 2025 Technology Survey, which confirmed that resistance to change remains the most significant barrier to adopting innovative tools like GenAI, cited by 57% of respondents as their top challenge. Security and risk concerns follow closely at 54%.

While these challenges are real, waiting for calmer waters could mean watching the rest of the fleet sail ahead. ILTACON’s panel discussion painted a clear picture: automation and AI are no longer distant prospects—they’re active currents reshaping the industry.

Tools powered by AI are streamlining once time-consuming tasks such as document review, legal research, and contract analysis. This shift allows legal professionals to dedicate more energy to high-value strategic work, while also improving accuracy and client outcomes. Respondents pointed to several emerging players on their radar, including Jylo, Oddr, Laurel.AI, Legora, Harvey, and CoCounsel—proof that the ecosystem of solutions is expanding rapidly.

Cloud Adoption Surges

One of the strongest signals in the survey was the continued rise of cloud adoption. A striking 88% of firms now report being either “mostly in the cloud” or moving to the cloud with every upgrade—a number that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Only 2% of firms remain hesitant, with most of those in smaller practices of under 50 lawyers.

The benefits are tangible. When asked which technology delivered the most positive response from lawyers in the past two years, nearly 14% cited transitioning to a cloud-based document management system (DMS)—a nine-point increase from last year, with overall adoption now at 76%.

The reasons are clear: cloud-based DMS solutions offer real-time updates, version control, co-authoring, and robust security—all while easing the burden on IT staff. For many, the move has also unlocked the flexibility of seamless remote work, enabling teams to collaborate from anywhere in the world securely.

The Road Ahead

The survey findings make one thing clear: the legal industry is charting a new course, with AI and cloud technologies as the twin engines of transformation. But technology alone isn’t enough—culture and mindset remain decisive factors. Firms willing to embrace change, address security concerns head-on, and pilot emerging solutions will be best positioned to thrive in these uncharted waters.

As the ILTA community continues to share lessons learned and success stories, one message rings true: the future is already here—it’s just a matter of who’s ready to set sail.