Law Firms Build Proprietary AI Tools, Split on Sharing With Rivals in 2026
Updated
Updated · Law.com · Jul 13
Law Firms Build Proprietary AI Tools, Split on Sharing With Rivals in 2026
3 articles · Updated · Law.com · Jul 13
Summary
Law firms are increasingly developing proprietary AI tools and workflows with technology partners, turning legal AI from off-the-shelf software into firm-specific products.
Those projects are now raising a strategic choice: keep the resulting tools exclusive to preserve an edge, or share them more broadly with other firms.
The divide reflects competing views of AI as either a differentiating capability that can win clients and efficiency gains, or a platform better scaled through wider adoption.
The trend underscores how legal practices, corporate legal departments and legal-tech vendors are becoming more tightly linked as AI moves deeper into core legal work.