AI redefines inhouse departments
The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating a change in the model of corporate legal advice, which is no longer an area of mere legal advice, but a true strategic partner in business. This was highlighted by legal experts from Abanca, Ford, Línea Directa and CaixaBank at an event organised by Legaltech Zelsior, where they also stated that the main challenge of this transformation is team management and their evolution towards hybrid and multidisciplinary profiles.
During the meeting “The power of data in the legal sector: AI and advanced analytics: drivers of the new era”, moderated by Pablo de la Viña, CEO of Zelsior, the speakers argued that generative AI does not replace lawyers, but rather complements them. The real challenge, they stressed, lies in managing change. In this way, technology can support legal advice by taking care of the more administrative tasks, but it always requires human verification, analysis and judgement.
The rise of hybrid profiles: half lawyer, half technologist
Beatriz Esclusa Marín, Director of Legal Transformation at CaixaBank, insisted that the big question is not whether to invest in AI, but rather which generative AI to implement and, especially, how to adapt and prepare legal teams for it. “We are facing a major revolution that requires transforming the profile of the lawyer: half lawyer, half technology expert or AI agent,” she said. “But to get good results, you have to start with good organisation and solid corporate governance,” she added.
Efficiency, supervision and data quality
The forum, organised in collaboration with Angeco and GLTH, also featured Alberto Bueno Tascón, manager of Judicial Management at Abanca, who said that “we are still in an early and testing phase of AI implementation, so everything remains to be developed.” In his opinion, ‘the important thing is the supervision of those administrative tasks that AI can do, allowing teams to develop other tasks with greater added value.’ In this regard, he focused on the cost and time savings in automated processes, but insisted on the importance of data verification and good document management. He added that ‘the differentiating factor has to be human control.” In this regard, Pablo de la Viña recalled that Zelsior has been working for years on the implementation of an AI system for more agile, secure and efficient document classification and documentation.
Legal departments as business partners
Beatriz Paz Fernández, head of Legal Advice at Línea Directa, stressed that “lawyers are no longer just advisors on legal matters, but are part of the business.” She explained that ‘it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the company’s processes and needs in order to support the business effectively.” In this regard, she pointed out that “we have to be involved and efficient in order to provide the client with the highest quality standards, anticipating risks and offering solutions to constantly changing regulatory scenarios.” She added that “having automated processes and a digital mindset is essential to offering agile, high-quality solutions that are aligned with the company’s strategy.”
Understanding the business to anticipate risks
Along the same lines, Javier Vives Soto, director of Legal Affairs at Ford Iberia, defended the importance of direct knowledge of the business by the company’s legal teams. “Only when we are close to the processes —in litigation or in a competition— do we really learn, and that is where we analyse the problems and can anticipate the risks in order to avoid them,” he said.
Cybersecurity as a strategic pillar
The conference concluded with a presentation by Mikel Rufián, an expert in cybersecurity, who insisted on the need to adopt a comprehensive approach to security, combining technologies, processes and people. To this end, he recommended developing a Cybersecurity Master Plan (CMP) aligned with the mission and objectives of each organisation, investing in managed services to fill internal gaps and maintaining cybersecurity as a corporate governance priority.
Rufián also shared a practical ten-point guide to cybersecurity for businesses, which includes conducting a risk assessment, controlling access to information, making regular backups, installing antivirus software, keeping systems up to date, securing the corporate network, encrypting and securely deleting information, defining a business continuity plan and, above all, training employees as the first line of defence against cyberattacks.
