New Ironclad Report 2026: AI Expands Legal Roles

Ironclad, the AI contracting company accelerating business with every contract, has announced its third-annual State of AI in Legal Report. Surveying more than 800 legal professionals across in-house teams and law firms, the report shows how lawyers are using AI and how the technology is changing their roles.

AI use in legal work has increased significantly between 2024 and 2026, despite a temporary decline in adoption in 2025.

The rapid growth and adoption of AI have increased pressure on workers. Legal teams are focused on protecting their companies against risk. However, as lawyers' workloads increase, more are trusting AI tools to keep up, setting aside their initial concerns about its risks. AI is also helping legal teams expand their skill sets and knowledge, enabling them to take on projects and problems beyond their traditional roles. These findings are a microcosm of broader workplace trends, offering a unique perspective to explore how AI is reshaping roles and responsibilities across industries.

"Legal teams today are facing pressure to do more, while working faster with smaller teams," said Jasmine Singh, General Counsel at Ironclad. "AI is helping lawyers focus on strategic work, drive value for their business, and model best practices for how the technology can be used by company leadership and other departments."
Key new findings illustrate how that shift is playing out in practice:

Confidence and optimism about using AI grow:

• 92% of respondents are using AI for legal work, up from 69% in 2025.
• 94% of respondents who use AI for legal work use it for contract-specific tasks.
• 92% say the benefits of using AI for legal purposes outweigh the risks, up from 59% in 2025.
• 65% believe AI will create more job opportunities, up from 46% in 2025.

AI raises expectations and expands the role of legal teams:

• 96% of respondents agree their organisation now expects more from the legal function than it did two years ago.
• 95% say AI has made them more valuable beyond their legal expertise.
• 89% report spending more time on complex, strategic tasks since adopting AI.

Businesses see value in using AI but need greater accountability:

• 97% of those who use AI for legal work reported at least one measurable business outcome: faster response times to business stakeholders (52%), faster contract turnaround times (50%), and reductions in outside counsel spend (42%).
• 96% of respondents agree they would use AI more extensively in legal work if accountability for errors were more clearly defined.
• 82% rate of AI adoption within legal teams is ahead of other functions at their organisations.

Download the full 2026 State of AI in Legal Report.

About Ironclad

Ironclad is an AI-powered contract lifecycle management (CLM) platform that helps organisations streamline contracting, improve legal workflows, and accelerate business operations.