As we enter 2025, in-house legal teams face unprecedented pressure to do more with less while supporting increasingly complex business needs. Here are five trends we expect to shape legal operations this year.
1. AI Moves from Experiment to Essential
2024 was the year legal teams experimented with AI. In 2025, successful teams will move from pilots to production, deploying AI across their core workflows.
The key shift: AI is no longer about replacing lawyers—it's about augmenting them. Expect to see AI handling first-pass document review, drafting routine correspondence, and answering common questions, while attorneys focus on strategic work.
2. The Rise of the Legal Front Door
Scattered request channels—email, Slack, phone calls, hallway conversations—create chaos for legal teams. In 2025, more teams will implement centralized intake systems that capture requests from any channel while ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
3. Data-Driven Resource Allocation
With better visibility into their work, legal teams can finally answer questions like: Where do we spend most of our time? Which business units need the most support? What types of work are driving volume?
This data enables smarter decisions about staffing, outside counsel usage, and process improvements.
4. Tighter Integration with Business Systems
Legal teams no longer operate in isolation. In 2025, expect to see deeper integrations between legal platforms and the systems business users rely on—CRM, procurement, HR, and more.
5. Focus on Legal Team Experience
The best legal ops leaders know that tools are only effective if people actually use them. In 2025, user experience becomes a deciding factor in technology selection, with teams choosing platforms that meet users where they work.
What trends are you seeing in your organization? We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch to share your perspective or learn how Coheso supports these trends.