Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the legal profession at an unprecedented pace. Over the past two years, lawyers have witnessed how generative legal AI tools help them draft contract templates, summarize case law, or automate document reviews. However, the next great revolution goes a step further. In this article, we explore Agentic AI.
While traditional generative AI is limited to responding to instructions, Agentic AI has the ability to make autonomous decisions, execute multiple interconnected tasks, and act as a strategic agent, not merely as an assistant. For legal teams, this represents a unique opportunity to optimize complex processes but also introduces new challenges related to management, ethics, and compliance.
In this article, we’ll explore five key insights every lawyer should know to understand what Agentic AI is, how to apply it safely, and how to prepare for its integration into legal practice.
This article is also available in Spanish.
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Generative AI responds to specific instructions and produces an immediate result — for example, drafting a clause or summarizing a document. Agentic AI, on the other hand, can act autonomously, plan tasks, interact with different systems, and make intermediate decisions to achieve a goal. While generative AI is reactive, Agentic AI is proactive, functioning as an agent that not only responds but executes entire processes from start to finish.
In practical terms, this means that an Agentic AI system will not only draft a contract when you ask it to but will also be able to:
This turns Agentic AI into a strategic collaborator, capable of elevating automation to a new level — far beyond simple assistance.
Adopting Agentic AI requires rethinking how legal processes are managed. Some of the most relevant opportunities include:
Agentic AI can coordinate multiple steps in processes that traditionally required significant time and human supervision.
For example:
This frees up teams to focus on strategy and high-value advisory work.
An agent can connect to corporate tools such as:
The result is an integrated and up-to-date view of all relevant legal information.
Thanks to its autonomous monitoring capabilities, Agentic AI can work in the background, reducing the likelihood of missing documents, deadlines, or regulatory changes.
This is particularly useful in highly regulated sectors such as banking, insurance, or pharmaceuticals, where strict compliance is essential.
While Agentic AI offers enormous advantages, it also brings new legal and ethical risks. Lawyers must anticipate these challenges to prevent future issues.
An agent acting autonomously must leave a clear record of its actions, enabling teams to audit its decisions. This is essential to demonstrate compliance during internal or external audits.
Who is accountable if an agent makes an incorrect decision? This is one of the most pressing questions today.
Agentic AI depends on the data it processes. If the source information is incomplete or biased, the agent’s conclusions may be inaccurate and create risks.
You may be interested in: 5 clear steps for the ethical use of AI in legal departments
Adopting Agentic AI doesn’t mean transforming every process overnight. The best approach is to move forward gradually and with control. Below is a practical roadmap to get started:
Begin with processes that are:
This allows you to test and validate the technology without exposing the organization to unnecessary risks.
Define the specific function of each agent:
A clearly defined role prevents agents from acting outside their intended scope.
Even though agents can work autonomously, human validation remains essential.
This can include:
Step 4. Measure Results and Adjust
Once operational, evaluate regularly:
These metrics will allow you to justify the investment and plan expansion to additional processes.
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The rise of Agentic AI doesn’t mean lawyers will be replaced, rather, their role will evolve. Instead of focusing on administrative tasks, legal teams will dedicate more time to:
In this new context, lawyers who understand and master these technologies will be best positioned to lead the digital transformation of the legal sector.
Agentic AI represents a paradigm shift in how legal teams operate. It’s not just about automating tasks but about creating agents capable of acting proactively, anticipating problems, and optimizing complex processes.