In-House Legal Teams Build Custom AI Tools as 66% Expect Less Reliance on Outside Counsel
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · Jul 30
In-House Legal Teams Build Custom AI Tools as 66% Expect Less Reliance on Outside Counsel
3 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Jul 30
Summary
Upsider, Cox Media, Nanyang Technological University and Endava are adapting or building AI tools in-house to flag legal risks, speed reviews and handle niche tasks that off-the-shelf products may not cover.
38.5 days is now NTU’s average case-closure time, down from 55 days, while Endava says third-party screening time has fallen 40% to 50% without increasing its roughly 35-person legal headcount.
66% of in-house legal teams expected in 2025 to rely less on outside counsel as AI use rose, but budget pressure is pushing departments to stretch single tools across multiple jobs rather than buy many new products.
That improvisation carries risk: Cloc’s chief executive warned a tool validated for one use may not be safe for another, even as vendors including Harvey, Legora, LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters expand offerings.