“The legal profession, often characterized by a reverence for tradition and resistance to change, is at the cusp of a technological revolution that promises the potential to reshape the profession," says Haley Sylvester, Associate at Pryor Cashman.
2025 is right around the corner and the legal tech industry continues to advance with sophisticated solutions, many powered by AI, including natural language processing (NLP), large language models (LLMs), and machine learning.
In fact, the legal tech market is projected to reach $32.54 billion by 2026, illustrating the sector's rapid growth. AI adoption in law firms also skyrocketed from 19% in 2023 to 79% in 2024!
With law firms ramping up their tech budgets and embracing these tools at record rates, 2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for legal tech.
Here are 9 legal tech trends you can expect to see in 2025:
1) Legal predictive analytics
In 2025, we are going to see data analytics software reshaping legal strategizing for better data-driven decision making.
AI-powered legal predictive analytics software use data to analyze vast amounts of legal data to uncover trends and patterns, forecast case outcomes, underwrite case values, and better understand judicial behavior to refine their strategic approaches.
One way plaintiff attorneys can specifically leverage predictive analytics is to identify jurisdictions with a higher likelihood of favorable outcomes for specific case types.
Peggy Gruenke, Founder of CPN-Legal, says:
"The technology behind not only capturing the data but building meaningful and easy-to-understand reports to help measure these areas will help drive decision making to lead to a more profitable business.”
At Darrow, we use predictive analytics algorithms for underwriting purposes. Our models draw from publicly available records, court filings, and regulatory data to evaluate the strength of evidence, the likelihood of success, and the potential risks involved in each case to evaluate estimated damages and case value.
LexisNexis and NexLaw (specifically its Legal AI Trial Copilot feature) are two excellent predictive analytics software that allow attorneys to forecast legal outcomes, assess case strengths, and analyze historical case data, trends, and legal precedents.
2) Legal research
2025 is going to be all about AI-powered legal research.
Attorneys can conduct complex research by sifting through massive legal databases, including case law, statutes, and secondary sources, to deliver relevant results tailored to specific legal issues. They can identify patterns and connections across seemingly unrelated rulings, uncovering precedents that might otherwise be missed.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys can use legal research tools to identify hidden patterns in case law that strengthen their arguments. In a product liability case, these tools can analyze thousands of past rulings to uncover lesser-known precedents where similar product defects led to favorable outcomes for plaintiffs.
A tool like Fastcase can surface expert witness testimony from prior cases or regulatory decisions that support claims of negligence so attorneys can create stronger arguments faster. As a complete US legal library, Fastcase contains case law, statutes, regulations, court rules, constitutions, and law review articles.
3) Legal violation detection
AI-powered tech uses anomaly detection algorithms powered by machine learning to scan massive databases, public records, and other data sources for irregular patterns and anomalies.
At Darrow, we use this technology to connect data points that initially seem unrelated, revealing links that could signal unlawful practices or legal risks and proactively identifying risks before they escalate.
For example, unusual spikes in consumer complaints might indicate deceptive pricing schemes, while inconsistencies in supply chain records could reveal regulatory violations. Another useful feature of this technology is that it can monitor compliance in real-time, flagging potential breaches of privacy regulations or antitrust laws.
Darrow CEO, Evyatar Ben Artzi, explains:
"These advancements in the legal ecosystem, and specifically the development and application of generative AI, are revolutionizing the legal landscape by enabling the generation and analysis of vast amounts of legal data. This technology drastically expands the reach of the law."
As datasets grow and machine learning models improve, legal violation detection will become indispensable for navigating complex regulatory environments and protecting both companies and consumers.
4) Legal document analysis and automation
In 2025, we’re going to see more firms adopting AI-powered document management software (DMS).
Peter Duffy, Founder and Legal Tech Innovation Consultant at Titans, says:
“Interest in Generative AI and the subsequent learning of its limitations has led to a huge spike in appreciation for document automation, and we’ll continue to see a large uptick in firms assessing their current products and approaches.”
DMS drastically accelerates intake and triage, improves collaboration among attorneys on shared files, and makes it faster and easier to locate documents.
This software also acts as a centralized document storage database for legal documents like contracts, pleadings, and discovery files. It can analyze and summarize these documents quickly and allows attorneys to uncover details from thousands of pages in a fraction of the time.
LexWorkplace is a great example of DMS that can automatically generate contracts, agreements, and other documents with sensitive client information.
5) Advanced privacy protection and cybersecurity
We expect to see firms implementing advanced cybersecurity practices to address growing digital threats. As firms embrace the use of technology, risks like ransomware, data breaches, and phishing are becoming increasingly prevalent.
Generative AI introduces new challenges, too, such as difficulty tracing data sources, raising concerns about intellectual property and data privacy compliance. Legal teams will need to develop policies to address these risks and meet stricter regulations like access and erasure requests.
Firms can accomplish this by:
- Adopting cybersecurity software that can detect threats (Mimecast is a great option)
- Creating clear policies for handling cyber attacks
- Training employees to recognize cyber risks, follow safeguards, and spot warning signs
- Encouraging compliance teams to stay connected across the organization to ensure safe AI practices
6) Contract life cycle management (CLM)
CLM software uses AI to simplify the creation, negotiation, execution, and management of legal agreements throughout their lifecycle. Adoption rates have grown steadily, with over half of corporate legal departments now utilizing CLM tools for contract oversight.
CLM systems integrate risk tracking and compliance monitoring, aligning contract processes with broader business strategies. They enable better collaboration across legal teams and ensure contracts are completed quickly.
While plaintiffs' attorneys don’t need CLM software as frequently as corporate or transactional lawyers, it can be valuable in specific scenarios. For mass torts and class actions, where managing a large volume of client agreements or settlement documents is crucial, CLM systems can take care of repetitive tasks, helping attorneys work faster and with fewer errors.
7) E-discovery
The legal industry is entering a new era where the boundaries between structured and unstructured data are disappearing, completely redefining the e-discovery process. Traditionally, structured data, such as timestamps, metadata, or financial reports, has been easier to analyze, while unstructured data like emails, contracts, and case notes often remained untapped.
Yet, unstructured data accounts for 80% of the information handled during discovery. AI is changing this dynamic by allowing attorneys to connect unstructured internal data with structured external sources. For instance, an e-discovery platform might overlay litigation narratives with court rulings or link email chains with document metadata to uncover critical patterns.
In 2025, e-discovery tools will not only identify key evidence faster but will also provide deeper insights into cases before they reach the courtroom.
Companies like Darrow and Streamline are already doing this, but come 2025, we’re going to see more companies creating some amazing new products using this technology.
8) Cloud-based legal solutions
We’re continuing to see more firms adopting cloud technology to work for efficiently and remain competitive, and this is going to continue into 2025.
Cheryl Wilson Griffin, CEO at Legal Tech Consultants says:
“Now that most of the large financial institutions have integrated cloud into their strategic business objectives, even the most conservative law firms are easing their bans on using cloud-based solutions when they’re the right fit."
The cloud offers secure platforms for document storage, case management, and remote collaboration. Attorneys can access case files, client records, and research materials from anywhere, which is particularly valuable for firms working in hybrid or fully remote work environments.
Cloud-based software is especially useful for managing the complexities of large-scale litigation. Class and mass action cases involve hefty data management, client communication, and collaboration on documents. Case manegement software, for examples, allows plaintiffs' attorneys to track client intake, organize discovery materials, manage settlement negotiations, and work closely with co-counsel across different locations.
For smaller and mid-sized firms, cloud technology also reduces the need for on-site IT infrastructure, lowering overhead costs while providing enterprise-grade security. It supports integrations with other legal technologies, too, such as e-discovery tools.
9) Legal chatbots
Legal chatbots are AI-powered tools embedded onto firm websites that simplify interactions between law firms and potential clients. Advancements in natural language processing mean chatbots are becoming smarter, better able to understand legal queries and provide accurate responses. These digital assistants can now handle routine inquiries, provide basic legal information, and even assist with tasks like scheduling consultations or gathering initial case details.
In 2025, the use of chatbots will continue to grow as firms look for ways to be more accessible and deliver exceptional client service.
Another perk of using chatbots is that they provide potential clients answers immediately, even outside of standard business hours. This is great for engaging site visitors, improving satisfaction, and generating leads by keeping potential clients informed and connected around the clock.
Welcome to the Golden Age of legal tech
The legal industry is evolving, and 2025 promises to continue redefining how attorneys practice law. From predictive analytics and AI-driven research to cloud-based solutions and smarter client intake systems, these tools are not just making legal work more efficient—they’re redefining the possibilities of what law firms can do.
However, it’s important to emphasize that AI isn’t here to replace lawyers, but to amplify their capabilities. Firms that adopt these technologies stand to gain a competitive advantage and will have more time to focus on the very human elements of practicing law, like building client relationships, developing legal strategies, and litigating in court.
This is our approach at Darrow.
We use a combination of AI and human legal expertise to detect legal violations hidden amongst vast datasets. Using anomaly detection algorithms, we gather strong evidence to build class and mass actions for our partners along with smart targeted marketing campaigns to find quality plaintiffs.
Our team of in-house legal experts and attorneys then work with our partners throughout the entire litigation process to provide legal guidance and support, ensuring they have all the resources they need to pursue justice.
Interested in working with us in 2025? Contact us.
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