For more than two decades, the legal industry has been on a remarkable digital journey, from paper to platform, from data silos to seamless connectivity. Yet, as we look to the next century of innovation, it’s clear that digitisation was only the beginning. A new era is emerging, one defined not by connection alone, but by intelligence, autonomy, and trust.
Across industries, we’re seeing a rapid evolution from digital tools that assist to intelligent systems that collaborate. The rise of Agentic AI, autonomous, goal-driven systems capable of reasoning and acting, marks a fundamental shift in how organisations will operate. These systems don’t just generate responses; they can execute workflows, retrieve verified data, and interact securely across digital systems in real time.
“We’re moving from systems that simply respond to systems that can reason,” says John Ahern, CEO of InfoTrack. “That evolution will redefine how professionals work, not by replacing human judgment, but by amplifying it.”
Global research reinforces this shift.
For the legal profession, this points to a transformation from process automation to intelligent collaboration, where systems become active, auditable partners in practice.
“The future of practice isn’t about replacing lawyers,” Ahern notes. “It’s about creating partnerships between professionals and intelligent systems, so we can all work faster, smarter, and with greater confidence.”
The question now being explored across Australia’s legal, technology, and policy sectors is clear: how do we harness autonomy without losing accountability? That balance, between innovation and integrity, has always defined the legal profession.
“The legal profession has spent decades earning public trust. As AI becomes more capable, that trust becomes our most important infrastructure,” says Ahern. “We need to make sure that intelligent systems uphold, rather than undermine, the standards our profession is built on.”
This focus on accountability has driven a national conversation around secure, compliant, and auditable frameworks, systems that enable innovation while preserving professional ethics. The Australian Government’s National Framework for the Assurance of AI in Government has been a key catalyst, setting what it calls “the foundations for a nationally consistent approach to AI assurance, building public confidence and trust in the safe and responsible use of AI by ensuring accountability, transparency, and appropriate oversight.” Law firms are echoing the same message. As Corrs Chambers Westgarth recently noted in a ‘Responsible AI governance’ article, “organisations cannot afford to take a passive approach to AI governance. Proactive, well-defined frameworks are critical to manage risk, maintain trust, and ensure innovation does not come at the expense of accountability.” The legal profession is also taking concrete steps to uphold these standards. The Law Society of NSW’s Solicitor’s Guide to the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence reminds practitioners that “lawyers who use AI tools remain personally responsible for the integrity of their work. They must take reasonable steps to understand the technology, verify its outputs, and ensure its use aligns with their professional and ethical duties.”
As AI matures from experimentation to execution, the role of technology and business leaders will be to prepare for intelligent interoperability, connecting secure systems, verified data, and human expertise.
CIOs and CTOs across the profession should now be:
“Technology leadership isn’t about predicting the future,” Ahern concludes. “It’s about preparing for it, ensuring the systems we build today are ready for the intelligence we’ll depend on tomorrow.”
The next decade of legal innovation will be defined by how we collaborate, not just digitally, but intelligently. And that future starts with the conversations we’re having right now.
