What Qualifies as Agentic AI in Legal Tech?

Too often, tools branded as “AI agents” are really just workflows with a shiny interface. Real agentic AI is different: it holds a goal, adapts when things change, chooses the right tools, respects policy, and actually completes the job, without constant babysitting. That’s the standard we’re building toward at #Flowsign: digital management, AI-driven contract generation, and e-signatures that work end-to-end, with auditability and policy-awareness built in. Great read on this from Artificial Lawyer 👉 https://lnkd.in/d6JPdx2i #AgenticAI #LegalTech #eSignature

The hidden value of legal tech and AI isn’t in the manual. The real breakthroughs come when in-house teams push past “intended use” to find their own adaptive applications that multiply capacity in ways designers never imagined. More in the second article in the eight-part "GC x AI" series in Bloomberg Law linked here: https://lnkd.in/e6bjYbvv

Legal teams are becoming technology scouts, finding new applications for existing tools across business functions instead of waiting for custom solutions. This curiosity-driven approach is a measurable business advantage.

GCs and legal departments are getting a lot of pressure to think strategically about the enterprise, rather than being pigeon-holed as a risk-managing cost center. And AI promises to free up time for in-house lawyers to do this, right? But AI can do more to raise Legal's profile beyond freeing up some time. Cox Media Group's GC Eric Dodson Greenberg writes that the AI tools you're implementing may have other "off-label" uses that can make legal a better collaborator with other business units. Eric shares some examples of how his team have achieved this in Part Two of his Eight-Part GCxAI series with Bloomberg Law. Link below is outside paywall

Many “AI agents” I see today… aren’t agents at all. They’re workflows in disguise. I recently read an article by Jake Jones at Flank called "Stop Calling Workflows ‘Agents’ – A Guide to Real Agentic AI." He nailed something I’ve been talking about at work for months. Too many products (and internal pilots) are really assistants or workflows dressed up with the “agent” label. That might make for a nice demo, but it creates three problems: False confidence → leaders think we’re further ahead than we are. Eroded trust → when “agents” collapse, people conclude “AI doesn’t work.” Missed opportunity → we never invest in the guardrails that make true autonomy possible. Here’s how I now frame it (inspired by Jake, adapted to how we think about AI at work): Level 0 – Automated Workflow: Pre-baked, brittle sequences. Level 1 – AI Assistant: Drafts, summarizes, and classifies. Human drives. Level 2 – Human-in-the-Loop Agent: Can plan/act, but pauses for approval. Level 3 – Human-on-the-Loop Agent: Operates autonomously within guardrails; escalates only on exceptions. And if you’re not measuring things like: Unattended Completion Rate Obstacle Recovery Rate Mean Time to Human Policy Breach Rate …then you’re not talking about Agents. You’re talking about Assistants. And that’s okay — Assistants are valuable! But they’re not autonomous. Language matters. It shapes budgets, expectations, and adoption. If we become sloppy with the term “agent,” we risk undermining the trust necessary to scale AI. 👉 How is your org drawing the line between Assistants and Agents? 👉 Have you ever stopped an “Agent” project once you realized it was really just a software tool? (Link to the article: https://lnkd.in/g4ZBAnPg)

A must read, if you are planning or working on deploying true AI Agentic syatems. nicely put dissertation explaining the difference between a genuine AI Agent and workflow theatrics. I quote "If your product can’t run unattended, can’t re-plan when the world pushes back, and requires a bespoke UI to babysit every click, then it’s not an AI agent." Stop Calling Workflows ‘Agents’ – A Guide to Real Agentic AI – Artificial Lawyer https://lnkd.in/gzrNufA3

I like the “anti pattern” they summarized. But the NDA use case has a foundational flaw. You cannot use AI to authorize such legal action. Who would be responsible for the future NDA dispute? It will open another can of worms for the business. Use Agentic AI workflow wisely. AnChain.AI has figured out a working process on this pressing topic. Good article though. Pramod Gosavi

I seem to read everyday that we are either massively underestimating the ability of AI 'agents' and they will lead us to the next industrial revolution or they are over-hyped and doomed to fail in real-world production scenarios. I came across this article from Artificial Lawyer https://lnkd.in/e_vBMqwB that cuts through some of the noise around AI agents and their role in legal tech. While specific to legal tech, it's the same thing I've seen more broadly, and where we land will likely lie somewhere in between the hype and naysayers. While we are seeing the agentification of everything right now, with every workflow, every automation, every tool suddenly being an “agent.” But as the article rightly points out, real agentic AI involves planning, adapting, and interacting - autonomously and intelligently. That’s a far cry from a linear script or a static workflow. At Analytics Engines, we’re building with clarity in mind; developing: - Workflows that streamline complex processes, - Assistive AI that augments human decision-making, and - True agents that can reason, iterate, and deliver outcomes - not just outputs. As always, our goal isn’t to jump on the next cool technology trend, but find where organisations are truly seeing challenges and delivering real value while navigating real-world complexity. Let’s keep pushing for clarity, capability, and most importantly impact - beyond the buzzwords.

As the Financial Times highlights, AI agents are showing strong potential in legal tech—accelerating processes like compliance checks and contract reviews. But challenges around accuracy and liability mean legal teams still insist on human oversight. This reflects a broader truth: in order for AI to scale across the enterprise, it must be both powerful and trustworthy. That’s why at Mindbreeze, we place accuracy, transparency, and context at the center of our AI-powered knowledge management solutions. By grounding responses in enterprise data, we ensure organizations can rely on AI to support critical decisions. Full article available here: https://lnkd.in/ebHGRWqR? #Mindbreeze #EnterpriseAI #DigitalTransformation

This Financial Times article really highlights how legal tech giants are being challenged by smaller legal tech firms that are innovating faster, and are working at the cutting edge of Generative and Agentic AI. From calendaring and document review to drafting and research, firms are exploring smarter workflows, and they are open to looking outside the traditional powers in legal tech. Firms are increasingly seeking flexible tools that integrate with their existing systems, rather than relying solely on large, all-in-one platforms. What legal workflow would you most like to improve with AI? Curious how others are approaching it? Let’s connect! #LegalTech #AIinLaw #LegalInnovation #FutureOfLaw #LegalOps #LawPractice #LegalTransformation #TechInLaw #LegalIndustry #Microsoft365Integration https://lnkd.in/g6iyBzUt