It’s nearly impossible to avoid the effects of generative artificial intelligence (AI). No matter what your role entails or what type of legal organization you work for, AI’s impact is inescapable. Whether it’s increasing workflow efficiencies, reducing the need for new hires, or creating new roles focused on AI rollouts, it is undoubtedly changing the way that work gets done in the legal space and beyond.
You need look no further than the results of two recent surveys for evidence of this phenomenon: LinkedIn’s Guide to Futureproofing Your Career and ILTA’s 2025 Technology Survey. Both include data on AI’s impact on the workplace and how it is shaping the future of jobs by shifting expectations on outcomes and required professional skillsets.
If you’re unsure how your legal role will evolve in the years to come, these latest statistics will provide actionable insights. From replacing certain functions to expanding hiring for certain roles, there’s a lot of predictable — and sometimes unexpected — change on the horizon.
LinkedIn’s Data
Just this week, LinkedIn shared the results of a survey that offered insight into the evolution of work in the AI era. According to LinkedIn’s analysis, 85% of U.S. professionals expect that at least a quarter of their skills will be impacted by AI. Key roles respondents reported had already been impacted by AI included media and communications, marketing, and human resources.
Although this data is broadly applicable to the entire workforce, the functions cited as the most likely to evolve — writer/editor, data analyst, and marketing strategist — are also central functions within law firms. This means that when firm employees use AI for tasks like marketing and communications, HR, and operations, they streamline the more tedious aspects of these jobs and are better able to focus on more impactful, higher-level work.
The data shows that some types of work, however, are less affected. As the report notes, “Jobs grounded in physical presence or human-to-human interaction are seeing slower shifts.” Thus, for lawyers, face-to-face work like courtroom advocacy, negotiation, and client counseling will continue to be in high demand.
In other words, the most important takeaway is that human skills will matter more than ever. “The vast majority of global professionals (79%) believe that even as AI becomes more advanced, there’s no substitute for human intuition or the insights we glean from trusted colleagues. This suggests human skills like conflict mitigation, adaptability, innovating thinking, and stakeholder management are more important than ever. The human edge comes from strong judgement and the ability to connect the dots in a complex environment.”
ILTA’s Technology Data
Data from ILTA’s 2025 Technology Survey mirrors LinkedIn’s findings, highlighting how using AI to address administrative and operational tasks clears the way for higher-level work.
ILTA’s data shows that 80% of firms are already using or exploring AI and expect that AI will also impact their hiring approach. Just as LinkedIn’s survey highlighted new roles emerging around AI across the entire workforce, ILTA’s results confirm the same trend inside law firms. To support AI adoption, firms plan to increase hiring in some areas, including IT (32%), innovation (26%), and knowledge management (20%).
As explained in ILTA’s report, AI is widely used in legal organizations for administrative work. Top use cases include IT security and training (64%), research (57%), marketing and business development (55%), litigation support such as e-discovery and training (53%), and developing presentations (40%). These statistics mirror the LinkedIn data, where functions like marketing, communications, and operations were reported as most impacted by AI.
Firms expect AI to play a larger role in core legal tasks over the next year. The most common planned uses include summarizing documents (84%), legal research (80%), creating initial drafts of documents (78%), writing presentations (67%), drafting client alerts and emails (61%), and brainstorming ideas (59%). This aligns with LinkedIn’s broader conclusion that AI will reshape day-to-day work, enabling professionals to focus on higher-level strategy, judgment, and collaboration.
The Path Forward
AI is here to stay, so ignoring it simply isn’t an option. Instead, embrace the productivity gains it offers and prepare your firm for success in an AI-enabled business landscape.
Firms large and small can benefit from implementing AI tools strategically. The potential is significant, and ensuring that your firm is ahead of the AI adoption curve will pay off long-term. Learn as much as you can about AI trends, and take advantage of data from surveys like LinkedIn’s and ILTA’s to aid in your decision-making.
Determine which functions in your firm can be handled most effectively by AI tools. Obtain input from your staff and ensure that they receive the necessary training once you’ve incorporated AI into your law firm’s workflows. Consider AI-gained efficiencies when forecasting revenues and planning for the year to come to ensure that you fully reap the benefits of your AI investment.
The firms that will benefit the most will be those that view AI as a tool to reduce time investment in low-value work and focus on the human skills clients rely on the most: strategic thinking, sound judgment, and trusted advice.
Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney and Principal Legal Insight Strategist at 8am, the team behind 8am MyCase, LawPay, CasePeer, and DocketWise. She’s been blogging since 2005, has written a weekly column for the Daily Record since 2007, is the author of Cloud Computing for Lawyers, co-authors Social Media for Lawyers: the Next Frontier, and co-authors Criminal Law in New York. She’s easily distracted by the potential of bright and shiny tech gadgets, along with good food and wine. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikiblack and she can be reached at [email protected].