Libra CEO, by Victor von Essen, by Wolters Kluwer
Through recent industry discussions, including the FutureLaw conference in Tallinn, one message is becoming clear: the legal sector is moving beyond experimenting with AI. We are already in the acceleration phase.
In just a few years, the transition from general-purpose AI to increasingly capable AI agents has changed expectations. The question is no longer whether the technology works, but how it works in a real legal environment. That raises the bar. Speed alone is not enough in legal work. Accuracy, consistency and traceability are the basic requirements.
Against this backdrop, discussions about how the legal sector will evolve are becoming more realistic. And my ability to concentrate has increased even more.
First, start with workflows, not tools.
Legal tech creates value by reducing friction in how work actually gets done. There are fewer system interruptions, handoffs, and unnecessary review loops. This requires clarifying processes and responsibilities before implementing new technology. If workflows remain fragmented, AI will only accelerate inefficiencies. If they are structured and connected, AI can support work throughout the process in context.
Next, measure not only speed but also quality.
For many organizations, success still depends on faster delivery times. But for legal departments, that’s only part of the picture. Equally important is whether the output is reliable and verifiable. Relevant metrics include traceability, source quality, effort required for validation, team-wide adoption, and number of review cycles. You won’t make any progress by getting the wrong answers too quickly. These increase risk, reduce reliability, and ultimately limit adoption.
Third, AI must become legal infrastructure, not a side chatbot.
The next phase is not a collection of individual tools. It’s an integrated operating model where AI connects case files, authoritative legal content, drafting, review, and collaboration. Systems should be designed for production from the beginning and built into workflows rather than layered on top.
When these factors come together, the role of the legal function begins to change. Legal matters become an enabler of the entire process, rather than a control point at the end of the process. Your team can respond faster, handle more work internally, and support better decisions earlier.
This will ultimately define the next stage of legal transformation. It’s not the number of tools in use, but the clarity of the operating model behind them.
With Wolters Kluwer’s Libra, combining AI with trusted, authoritative content and embedding it directly into legal workflows is the direction we’re heading.
The goal is simple. To enable legal professionals to operate with greater consistency, reliability and confidence, and to scale legal functions to meet the demands of a more complex and rapidly changing business environment.
