*By Magno Alves
Technological integration is increasingly influencing the organization of processes and the use of information in different fields of the Brazilian economy. In the legal sector, this movement is reflected in the adoption of systems capable of structuring data, reducing manual activities, and offering greater predictability to operational routines. As a result, technology plays a significant role in how legal information is analyzed, interpreted, and incorporated into organizational decisions.
In this context, the Artificial intelligence It has become a permanent fixture on companies' modernization agendas as part of their operational business structure. Its application has focused primarily on analyzing large volumes of information, supporting the execution of recurring tasks, and standardizing workflows that previously depended exclusively on human intervention.
In the legal sector, the incorporation of technology occurs in an environment marked by increased regulatory complexity, a greater volume of information, and constant pressure for operational efficiency. Legal departments and firms have begun to deal with demands that require more rigorous control of deadlines, costs, and risks, while simultaneously needing to ensure compliance and technical quality. In this scenario, the integration between digital tools, databases, and internal processes has proven crucial for sustaining operations and expanding the capacity to deliver value to organizations.
How Artificial Intelligence is being used in law firms
The adoption of AI in the legal sector is making the market even more competitive, especially due to its ability to organize information, reduce rework, and provide greater predictability to routines. As these tools are incorporated into legal systems, their use directly influences how activities are distributed, monitored, and evaluated over time.
According to the survey Analysis of Legal Practice 2026, A study that evaluated 723 law firms operating in corporate law found that 47% have already incorporated artificial intelligence solutions into their workflows. This data indicates an uneven stage of adoption, but it is sufficient to demonstrate that the technology is beginning to occupy a significant space in legal routines, especially in organizations that handle a large volume of cases and information.
In practice, the use of AI in the legal environment has focused on activities that require a high volume of reading, organization, and standardization of information. These include managing files and processes, drafting supporting documents for initial pleadings and defenses, reviewing legal documents, and supporting mass litigation. By taking on these tasks, the systems reduce the time spent on repetitive routines and contribute to greater consistency in legal output, without interfering in decisions involving interpretation or strategy.
Within this process, automation tends to advance primarily in activities that do not involve sensitive legal decisions or direct risk to the procedural strategy. Standardization of documents, the use of virtual assistants focused on recurring questions, the creation of analytical dashboards, and the automated review of contractual clauses are examples of applications already underway.
In a more structured stage, in what are called Smart Contracts Legal, Those with predefined rules allow for the automatic execution of obligations, such as renewals and notifications, provided they are subject to clear control and validation criteria. The most immediate effect of these initiatives is the reduction of operational errors and delays, as well as the redistribution of team time to activities that require qualified legal analysis.
Another relevant trend concerns the integration of these functionalities into the legal systems already used by organizations. Instead of operating isolated tools, legal departments are now concentrating data, documents, and workflows on single platforms, which reduces inconsistencies and facilitates the monitoring of activities. This integration changes how information is consulted, updated, and shared, creating more stable conditions for control, traceability, and decision-making throughout the processes.
Jurimetrics: How to predict procedural outcomes with data.
Given the increasing volume of procedural and contractual information, the jurimetrics It has come to occupy a relevant space in legal management. By organizing historical data on decisions, values involved, deadlines, and outcomes, this approach allows for a more structured understanding of the behavior of processes over time. With this, managers can assess probabilities, identify recurring patterns, and base decisions on greater consistency, especially in large-scale portfolios.
Over the past few years, data analysis in the legal field has incorporated methods capable of supporting financial projections and risk assessments. The application of AI-based models that include Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning techniques allows for handling large volumes of documents and procedural histories, providing support for estimating disbursements, monitoring decision trends, and identifying relevant patterns within legal portfolios.
With this advancement, legal management begins to have a more direct impact on the financial administration of organizations. The proactive analysis of scenarios allows for the organization of provisions with greater predictability and reduces asymmetries between legal risk and budgetary planning. In this context, the information produced by the legal department ceases to circulate in isolation and begins to interact with financial indicators, such as EBITDA, for example, contributing to more aligned decisions between the areas responsible for control, performance, and corporate governance.
Legal information security: how to protect sensitive data
As the use of AI, automation, and digital databases expands in the legal sector, exposure to information security risks also grows. The concentration of sensitive data in technological environments demands constant attention to the protection of these assets, especially given the increase in attempts at unauthorized access and the use of digital tools by malicious actors. In this context, information management becomes a critical dimension of legal practice, with a direct impact on business continuity and regulatory compliance.
According to data from the threat landscape report... Fortinet, Brazil recorded approximately 315 million attempted attacks in 2025, accounting for 841% of the total attempts in Latin America, which suffered 374 million. This increases the level of attention required from organizations. Therefore, law firms and legal departments are now largely responsible for this concern, as they directly handle strategic information and sensitive data.
This means that the digital environment requires strengthening measures to protect access to data circulating within company departments and also between third-party companies, considering the entire technological flow through which information and processes transit.
Therefore, companies need to constantly pay attention to new forms of information protection, which includes adopting security certifications such as SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type 2, focused on information management and control. It is also necessary to ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Law (LGPD), which establishes guidelines to prevent the exposure or misuse of personal data.
Data governance and ESG in the legal department
The process of reorganizing and realigning strategic points that encompass the risks of sophisticated cyber threats makes governance systems important in the transition process, from ethical supply chain monitoring to rigorous data privacy management.
Thus, information security and compliance certifications, such as SOC 2, become part of the trust criteria adopted by the market. In this context, the legal department assumes the responsibility of ensuring that information flows with integrity between internal departments and external partners. Technological integration into management systems helps to organize workflows, reduce rework, and provide visibility to activities that were previously scattered throughout the processes.
In this way, qualifications and guarantees related to data protection tend to consolidate as prerequisites for partnerships and technology provision. Organizations prepared to handle risks and preserve the integrity of information demonstrate greater operational solidity, while the legal sector begins to act as a support element for governance and financial organization, especially in a business environment marked by greater complexity and regulatory requirements.
Magno Alves is the Director of the legal department of... Benner, a technology company that offers business management software and BPO services to revolutionize and simplify businesses.
Notice: The opinion presented in this article is the responsibility of its author and not of ABES - Brazilian Association of Software Companies
