Efficiency, security and reliability drive AI adoption
by gonzalo blázquez de sande
Law firms and in-house legal teams are moving beyond AI-powered research towards document generation, workflow automation and strategic decision-making, while questions around reliability, security and professional judgement remain central.
The artificial intelligence on legal practice took centre stage at Clio Elevate Spain 2026, held in Madrid and organised by vLex and Clio.
From legal research to automated drafting
Artificial intelligence is increasingly moving from an experimental tool to a practical resource for legal teams. Its adoption is being driven primarily by the need to improve efficiency and speed without compromising security or legal rigour.
Francisca Hernández Amezcua, Corporate Legal Counsel at MasOrange, said the company initially assessed different solutions in response to concerns surrounding the use of general-purpose generative AI. The focus was ultimately on tools capable of delivering “efficiency, speed and security” while maintaining greater control over the legal output.
For Carlos Martínez-Cava Arena, partner at Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo, AI has also become a driver of productivity and business growth. The technology has enabled his team to respond more quickly to clients and improve the efficiency of its work, contributing to the development of the firm’s labour law practice.
Adrián Robles Martín, associate at Kinship Law, highlighted another key requirement: the ability to verify AI-generated results. Specialised legal AI tools can provide not only an answer but also the legislation, case law and other sources supporting it. For lawyers, he said, “the key is that the response is verifiable”.
The use of AI is also expanding beyond legal research. Lawyers are increasingly using the technology to generate first drafts of reports, contracts and pleadings, shifting part of their role towards reviewing, validating and strategically developing the output.
AI is becoming an organisational challenge
The implications extend beyond individual legal tasks. Antonio Serrano, AI expert, described the current technological transformation as potentially “a change of era”, reflecting the broader economic, technological and geopolitical impact of AI.
For Sara Molina-Pérez Tomé, partner and Head of Legal Transformation at Pérez-Llorca, the challenge is also organisational. Innovation cannot operate as an isolated function within a law firm but requires closer collaboration between lawyers, technology specialists and innovation teams.
Pérez-Llorca has identified around 230 practical AI use cases across its different practice areas, illustrating the scale at which firms are beginning to integrate the technology into their operations.
Molina-Pérez also highlighted the importance of critical thinking. Rather than focusing exclusively on technical skills, legal professionals need to understand how AI can support their work and develop the judgement required to assess its output.
David Hurtado, Innovation Lead at Microsoft, pointed to the rapid evolution of AI capabilities. The technology is moving beyond simple assistance towards systems that can increasingly plan, execute and review complex tasks with greater levels of autonomy.
As adoption expands, the focus is therefore shifting from whether lawyers should use AI to how it can generate measurable value while maintaining professional standards. Efficiency may be one of the main drivers, but the effective use of AI ultimately depends on the ability of legal professionals to assess, verify and take responsibility for its output.
