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The adoption of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) tools in the corporate legal sector continues to accelerate. Nearly half (49%) of in-house counsel expect Gen AI tools to yield cost savings for their legal departments, and a quarter are already seeing cost benefits, according to an Association of Corporate Counsel survey.
AI stands as a force reshaping how in-house legal teams operate. And while AI-powered tools have been part of the legal tech landscape for years, recent advancements in AI capabilities are creating unprecedented opportunities for corporate legal departments to drive efficiency, enhance decision-making and deliver strategic value to their organizations.
We recently hosted a webinar, “Harnessing Generative AI: A New Era for Corporate Counsel,” in which a team of LexisNexis® executives shared valuable insights with in-house counsel regarding the power of agentic AI and the value AI solutions can bring to legal departments.
Our panelists included:
“It is very clear to us that minds are changing fast, and the impact that this (AI) technology is having on the legal profession is being felt already,” said Turner. A recent Law360® survey found that the sentiment around Gen AI is now “overwhelmingly positive, with 70% of respondents having a positive or neutral view of generative AI within the legal industry,” Turner said, adding that more than half of lawyers surveyed are now using Gen AI tools in their practices.
Turner observed that corporate legal executives are driving the adoption of AI-powered tools across their departments, with momentum building in 2025.
“This is the year that in-house counsel are going to move from AI experimentation to really being able to see value from AI technology, and they are going to be able to achieve adoption of AI tools at scale,” she predicted. “The question is no longer ‘whether’ in-house legal departments will adopt AI but ‘when’ and ‘how’ to do so in a way that is best for their needs.”
The panelists noted a number of important practical use cases that in-house counsel are discovering as they implement innovative legal AI solutions.
“For example, Gen AI tools now offer corporate legal departments enhanced legal document drafting and analysis for greater accuracy and efficiency,” explained Wellen. “There are intelligent tools that are available now that can allow you to do a number of things that are really critical, such as finding vetted documents to start a draft and to help you quickly understand the implications of specific provisions in a contract.”
Another use case where in-house legal departments are finding significant value is the ability to leverage their organizations’ own precedents within the drafting workflow, Wellen said. This is made possible by secure integration between a legal department’s AI platform and its document management system (DMS), extracting key data points based on past work product.
A third prominent example involves the use of Gen AI tools in legal operations workflows. “Legal operations involves the management of matters, legal spend, vendors and contracts—a lot of complex data—and managing risk requires that data to be accurate and give you the ability to make decisions based on insights from the data,” said Wellen. “By integrating Gen AI into your legal spend and work management tools, you can quickly understand complex data about matters and reduce risk with recommended actions to consider.”
Chapman, who serves in the role of a corporate legal department leader herself, shared an important message with her colleagues who participated in the webinar.
“My objective is to encourage you to take a step back before just diving into Gen AI,” advised Chapman. “As with any new technology, there are some uncertainties about how it may impact your work as a lawyer and is it worth the hype. So the reason I want you to take a step back is because I want you to take control over how you use these tools.”
Chapman encouraged her fellow in-house counsel to not be scared of Gen AI tools or worry about them possibly replacing attorneys in their organizations.
“I see AI-powered legal tools as a tremendous opportunity for lawyers to actually use their valuable time to do the work and apply the critical thinking they were trained to do,” she said. “The goal is to free up your time so you can do more of what you should be doing and what provides the most value for your organizations.”
The LexisNexis panelists explained that “agentic AI”—AI systems capable of making autonomous decisions and taking actions—represents the next frontier for corporate legal departments. Unlike traditional AI tools that merely respond to specific prompts, agentic systems can pro-actively identify issues, suggest solutions and execute defined tasks independently.
The integration of agentic AI systems into in-house legal operations represents not merely a technological shift, but a fundamental transformation in how corporate legal departments can function. That transformation promises to free up in-house counsel to focus on their highest value contributions as business counselors. Those who successfully harness AI’s potential can not only enhance their department’s operational efficiency, but also elevate their strategic influence within the corporate structure.
LexisNexis® Protégé™ is a personalized AI assistant powered by proprietary generative and agentic AI technology from LexisNexis.
Protégé™ is securely integrated where in-house lawyers work most—even within drafting workflows using Microsoft® Office. Protege is uniquely tailored to each user and helps attorneys work faster while becoming a more strategic business partner in their organization. This AI-powered tool can save money, cut drafting time and help users avoid common mistakes.
Meet LexisNexis Protégé for yourself and register for a complimentary demo to discover how it delivers efficiency that unlocks economic value for in-house legal departments.