New research from DeepL uncovers current and future AI trends in the legal field, including rapid adoption, the widespread use of Language AI, shifting workflows and emerging risks
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the legal profession at a breakneck speed, with nearly half (47%) citing it as essential to their daily workflows and over 96% of legal professionals confirming the use of AI tools in their work. Additionally, 77% said their organizations increased AI spending over the past year – a strong signal of deepening investment and reliance across the sector. This is according to new research from DeepL, a leading global Language AI company, which recently surveyed 1,000 US legal professionals spanning law firms, in-house legal departments, independent practitioners, and public sector teams to understand how AI adoption is transforming the industry.
The findings are clear: legal AI adoption is widespread and accelerating. But the data also shows that this transformation comes with mounting pressure to navigate risks, rethink staffing and resolve language challenges that are reshaping how legal work gets done. Below is an analysis of the key themes and insights discovered in DeepL’s latest research, highlighting the implications of AI on the future of legal work.
The big picture: AI is now essential to the legal industry
- AI has transitioned from experimental to essential in the legal sector, with 96% of legal professionals utilizing AI tools, and nearly half (47%) saying it’s essential to their daily workflows.
- The most commonly used AI tools include legal research and analytics, general-purpose AI, contract review/document automation, and Language AI to cover translation and writing improvement.
- 77% of legal professionals said their organization increased spending on AI in the past year.
- Adoption among legal organizations is also rapidly increasing, with almost 46% of respondents reporting formal use of AI tools across their teams, while over 31% are conducting limited pilots or isolated use cases.
- Only 4% of those surveyed have no plans to adopt AI, highlighting its swift integration into legal work.
“These findings certainly align with what we’re seeing from both current and prospective legal customers here at DeepL. More and more legal teams are looking for and embracing AI tools – in our case, Language AI – to solve daily operational challenges and improve efficiency, as long as they meet security and compliance standards, ” said Frankie Williams, Chief Legal Officer, DeepL. “Even within DeepL, our own legal team is leveraging AI to drive efficiencies. For example, we’ve been successfully using a chatbot to answer routine and repeated questions in relation to our customer contracts and also general legal questions, which has saved my lawyers’ time for more complex and strategic work. We also use DeepL Write, which helps us improve the quality of our communications internally and externally.”
Language challenges are pervasive and costly, with AI emerging as the top solution
- Language and translation problems are nearly universal in the legal field, with over 85% of professionals reporting that translation issues have adversely affected their work outcomes.
- Among those impacted, 39% had to write off billable hours to correct errors, 38% experienced internal inefficiencies and 37% cited poor translations as a factor in lost cases, deals, or client relationships.
- AI has emerged as the most popular method for tackling legal translation workflows, with 49% of professionals using general-purpose AI tools and 43% relying on specialized tools like DeepL.
- However, despite AI’s growing adoption to address these challenges, concerns still persist. Primary concerns raised by legal professionals using AI for translation workflows include security and compliance risks (26%), loss of legal or cultural context (18%), and inconsistent or incorrect terminology (18%).
“Language and context are the foundation of all legal work, so it’s both interesting and expected that translation has emerged as one of the most impactful use cases for AI in the sector,” said André Barrow, DeepL’s Director of Legal Operations. “At DeepL, we understand how much precision this demands and we are committed to delivering Language AI tools that meet the speed, nuance and security that legal teams need. Our tools have a number of enterprise-grade protections in place, including GDPR compliance, SOC 2 Type II certification and more, so that legal teams can trust that our AI not only works effectively, but is also safe and secure.”
AI is reshaping legal workflows, staffing, and strategy
- Nearly all respondents – over 99% – who use AI in their legal work shared that the technology has had an effect on their day-to-day work, with less than 1% claiming it had “no impact”:
- 59% say AI helps them complete routine work faster.
- 57% developed new skills to work effectively with AI.
- 54% are now able to spend more time on strategic, high-judgment tasks.
- 36% rely less on their junior staff for basic work
- 42% of all respondents say they’re delivering more work with the same headcount, while 37% report a shift toward fixed-fee or value-based billing as a result of AI.
Shadow AI use is prevalent and largely unmanaged
- Despite widespread adoption, the vast majority (71%) of legal professionals admit to using AI without formal approval, with 35% doing so frequently.
- Interestingly, unclear policy is not the leading cause for this unapproved use, mentioned by only 24% of respondents. The main drivers include: pressure to deliver faster (35%), insufficient functionality in approved tools (32%), and recommendations from managers or senior colleagues (30%).
- Translation remains a significant area of shadow AI use, with 38% of respondents reporting unapproved use for legal translation.
Future outlook: embracing the future of AI while managing risks
- Training and preparedness are top of mind – 42% of professionals cite training staff on AI ethics, risk, and compliance as their top strategic priority for 2025.
- New and innovative AI tools are gaining momentum, with 65% of legal organizations currently evaluating agentic (autonomous) AI solutions, and an additional 27% planning to do so in the near future.
- Looking ahead, AI is seen as a driver of scale and inclusion. Over the next three years, the top-ranked areas where AI is expected to deliver impact over the next three years include: cost reduction and improved access to legal services (34%), 24/7 research and document review (34%), real-time multilingual support (32%) and new AI-powered service models (31%).
- At the same time, the top risks anticipated over the next three years include: data privacy and cybersecurity concerns (35%), lack of transparency or explainability in AI decisions (30%), over-reliance on AI for critical decisions (30%), and AI misuse or hallucination in high-stakes litigation(30%).
DeepL has become the preferred specialized Language AI platform for many enterprises worldwide, with a rapidly expanding network of over 200,000 business customers, including legal industry leaders like Taylor Wessing, LegalOn Technologies and more. To learn more about the DeepL platform and how it is transforming legal workflows, www.deepl.com/industries/legal-and-professional.
Methodology
This research was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of DeepL, with 1,000 Legal professionals based in the United States. The survey was conducted in June 2025. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.