The legal sector puts AI at the centre to improve profitability and processes

Talent remains vital for law firms. However, in recent years, a special guest has crept into strategic plans. Technology can no longer be seen as an option, but rather as an obligation in order to keep up with the current needs of clients.

Artificial intelligence is now a must in companies across a wide range of sectors, and the legal sector is no exception. For this reason, defining and implementing an internal artificial intelligence (AI) and artificial general intelligence (AGI) strategy is the biggest challenge in 2026 for the 115 law firms participating in the seventh edition of the Expansión Jurídico Report on the legal sector in Spain.

"We have invested heavily in AI training for our employees because we are aware that this technology marks a turning point in the profession and firms that do not have professionals with these skills will face serious difficulties," said Christian Bartsch, global CEO of Bird & Bird since 2022, in a recent interview published in EXPANSIÓN.

However, this challenge is not unique to law firms. Only two tenths of a point separate artificial intelligence and its strategic implementation from the second challenge identified by law firms: improving profitability and efficiency in processes.

This is not a strange choice, as both objectives go hand in hand in law firms as an inseparable part of their strategic plans for the coming years.

In a market where the biggest fish does not always eat the smallest, but the fastest will eat the slowest, artificial intelligence will also help with the third challenge that law firms see for 2026: innovating in the provision of services to differentiate themselves from the competition.

With international investment funds setting their sights on professional services firms and merger and integration strategies to compete in an increasingly complex and globalised market, there is one factor that remains unchanged on the agenda of law firm managing partners, regardless of their size.

The design of new policies aimed at improving the attraction and retention of talent is also a concern for firms that, despite technology, will always need the expert vision and strategic value-adding capabilities of their professionals.

In this context, Alejandro Touriño, managing partner of ECIJA, stresses that the real challenge lies in embracing a structural change in the way the legal business is understood: "The big challenge for 2026 will be to accept that the digital economy is no longer a complement, but the framework in which all businesses and services operate. Digitalisation affects all sectors, from industry and banking to healthcare and entertainment, and requires professional services firms to reinvent their operating models. The organisations that will lead the next cycle will be those capable of integrating technology into their processes, creating scalable structures and attracting talent that combines law, business and technology, anticipating the needs of their clients. At the same time, the entry of investment funds is accelerating the consolidation of the legal sector, driving more efficient models and solid international platforms. At Ecija, we are committed to double-digit organic growth, the integration of new teams and a clear focus on the digital economy and Latin America. Our goal is simple: to build a firm that responds to how clients will work in the coming years, not how it has been done historically.

Read the full article published in Expansión here.