Agentic AI Is Changing Legal Work. Quietly. But Fast.

Agentic AI may never replace an attorney, but who’s to say its successor won’t?

The number of legal functions automated since 2022 would have looked like black magic to anyone who once had the pleasure of thumbing through the Martindale-Hubbell by hand.

Disclaimer: While Agentic AI is already transforming routine legal tasks, it’s important to note that the technology is still evolving. Current capabilities are impressive, but they’re just the beginning.

Most of what’s now marketed as “legal AI” is cosmetic. Similar tools with new skins. A few add-ons slapped onto old infrastructure. Maybe faster, but nothing that automates the workflow.

Agentic AI is built to automate outcomes.

It doesn’t wait for prompts. It sets a goal, moves through the steps, splits off subtasks when it hits friction, and gets the job most of the way there. It behaves less like a tool and more like an organized junior associate who’s always online. Of course, like any junior, it still needs oversight.

What is it designed to do?

It's designed to pull from an intake form, generate a draft engagement letter, send the conflict check, and drop the meeting invite. Most of the process runs without manual input, but you’re still approving the final step.

It can review past deals and tailor documents accordingly. It drafts emails for client updates. It flags risk language. It follows up on unanswered discovery. It keeps the wheels moving when you’re not watching, but you will still be in control.

It should be able to handle things lawyers often forget to bill for, e.g., chasing signatures, pulling exhibits, summarizing calls, tracking deadlines, and reformatting agreements.

Small and Mid-Sized Firms: This Hits Different

If you run lean, Agentic can provide you with leverage without capitalizing a new salary. If you don’t have a lot of free time and/or a surplus of staff, Agentic has the potential to solve some problems! 

Let’s be clear: this isn’t a flawless, set-it-and-forget-it solution. It needs guidance. It needs structure. Even so, as these systems advance, there’s no telling how capable they will be. Once they’re integrated, they don’t burn out, get sick, or push off deadlines. If you gain back even eight to ten hours a week of low-value work, you start thinking differently about growth.

Imagine a client emails you late at night. They need a redlined NDA before tomorrow. While you’re sleeping, your AI agent reviews the template, pulls relevant clauses from your past deals, applies your standard fallback positions, and generates a draft. By the time you’ve sat down with coffee, it’ll be waiting in your inbox. All you have to do is just check the work. Just like how you would check your junior associate’s work! 

This is where we’re headed. Sooner than most expect.

It’s Not Perfect. That’s Fine.

Autonomy adds risk. If AI takes action, and something goes wrong, who owns it? That’s where guardrails come in. As mentioned previously, this needs to be checked as if it were done by a junior associate. You need oversight and protocols. You need someone verifying the output. But those are problems worth solving—especially if it means better output in half the time.

Waiting for perfection is just another form of procrastination.

Where to Start

Keep it simple. Have AI organize your email responses. Set up a scheduling workflow. Use it to auto-generate draft summaries or templated responses. Let it flag gaps in client documents.

Simply pick the slowest part of your week and delegate it to a system (if it applies).

Don’t wait for your firm to standardize this. Most won’t. Whether it’s because they want to keep billings high or because they don’t have the time or structure to lead the change. Their excuses won’t be sufficient answers when clients start asking why you aren’t growing with the times.

Plus, if you figure it out before they do, you are now ahead of 90%+ of attorneys in your practice.

The Shift Is Already Happening

Agentic AI won’t replace great attorneys. But it will replace the way work gets done. It will also make some legacy workflows and the people clinging to them obsolete.

Firms that adapt will get leaner, faster, and more profitable. Firms that don’t will look up in two years and realize they’ve been outpaced by teams with half the overhead and better turnaround.

You don’t need to overhaul your whole practice. But you do need to start.

Ayven Dodd advises attorneys, law firms, and investors on everything from legal AI to MSOs, ABS models, and M&A. He serves as a Legal AI and M&A Consultant, helping firms modernize without losing their edge. Reach him at ad@sheltonsteele.com