By Helen Yapura-Weiler., Paragon Team Member, Commercial Attorney & Legal Operations Professional
Earlier this month, I attended RLLB 2026 in Las Vegas, an annual conference that brings together in-house legal leaders, legal operations professionals, technology providers, and other industry experts to explore how legal departments can operate more effectively and strategically. Not surprisingly, AI was front and center this year – from the tools legal teams are using to the practical challenges of adoption, governance, and integration.
My biggest takeaway? We’ve moved beyond simply experimenting with AI. Legal teams are entering the AI adoption phase, and the conversation is increasingly shifting from whether to use AI to how to put it to work effectively.
What I learned at the in Las Vegas earlier this month, and what I had already begun to suspect, is that it doesn’t really matter which AI tool(s) you decide to use, as much as it matters that you start using them. The productivity gains you’re sacrificing by staying on the sidelines while you find the “perfect tool” can make waiting a false choice. AI software is not like other legal technology tools where you may be “locked in” once you start using them. Barriers to entry can be low, as can price points for point solutions. If you’re still on the fence about using AI in your daily practice, my advice is to start with an AI tool that has been approved by your organization and meets its security, confidentiality, and data-governance requirements, and start using it.
Both general-purpose AI, such as Microsoft Copilot, and legal-specific AI tools have a role to play. Rather than searching for one tool that does everything:
The important thing is to start learning by doing.
If your IT department has not yet approved use of an enterprise-wide AI tool, there may still be opportunities to build AI literacy without using corporate or confidential information, depending on your organization’s policies. For example, you might use AI for personal administrative tasks such as:
The key is hands-on experience. Don’t assume you’re “too busy” to learn AI or delegate all experimentation to assistants or paralegals. Using the tools yourself can expose you to entirely new ways of working – and help you make better decisions about where AI can add value for your team.
But can you still leverage AI now if your main technology concern is “ripping and replacing” a legacy CLM system? There are reasonably priced point solutions that can help teams begin using AI now, including tools that may integrate with legacy systems for discrete purposes such as front-door ticketing. These solutions can help organizations:
Companies that missed the last wave of Contract Lifecycle Management SaaS tools might be better situated than they realize. While they may feel the advent of AI leaves them even further behind than peers who embraced technology solutions years ago, the new “legal operating system” or “distributed CLM” solutions may give them an opportunity to approach adoption differently. The risk with this subset of companies is that they hold off on AI until they get a firm grasp on CLM, potentially delaying opportunities to learn where AI can add value today.
And if, after all these options, you still feel you don’t have the capacity to select or start using AI tools, there are legal tech consulting companies and ALSPs with experienced legal operations professionals who can provide specialized expertise and additional capacity to help bridge the gap. AI is a new technology and with all new technologies, the only way to get comfortable with what it can – and can’t – do is to start using it thoughtfully. The water’s fine. Come on in!
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