Why the next great boom in law is actually a sigh of relief

Embracing the AI Revolution: A New Era of Relief for the Legal Profession Unveiled at Web Summit Lisbon 2025

Mr. Henrique Ferreira, Inspira Cofounder, addressed Web Summit Lisbon 2025, detailing AI’s transformative role in law. Only one-third of a lawyer’s time is billable, with two-thirds consumed by administrative tasks. This inefficiency forces 80% of lawyers to work beyond hours, highlighting a critical need for change.

The current legal routine is fragmented and chaotic, relying on manual processes and disparate tools. Lawyers move files, await responses, manage emails, create presentations, handle communications, monitor cases, and draft contracts. This creates significant operational challenges, hindering productivity and increasing workload.

Inspira’s research identifies key AI impact areas: document review, legal research, summarizing documents, and drafting cases. These time-consuming activities can now be completed in a fraction of the time with AI, promising significant efficiency gains across the legal sector.

“Agentic AI” is a pivotal advancement to streamline the legal routine. This innovative approach solves complex, multi-step processes by deploying intelligent agents, integrating and automating tasks that previously demanded considerable manual effort.

AI’s evolution in law has three waves. The first optimizes legal workflow by integrating AI into small, routine tasks. This phase allows for testing and operationalizing AI solutions, achieving immediate time savings and enhancing overall efficiency.

The second wave, “industry in flux,” signifies a profound shift. The legal routine transforms as law firms and in-house counsels seek more advanced, practical, and effortless decision-making processes, driven by AI technologies.

The final wave, agentic AI, demonstrates all non-billable hours and administrative tasks can be effectively performed by AI. This liberates legal professionals from mundane work, allowing them to dedicate expertise to more strategic, human-centric aspects.

Looking ahead, Mr. Ferreira highlighted a paradox: increased AI utilization necessitates greater focus on human capabilities. This encourages lawyers to prioritize human relationships, client engagement, and team management. AI advancements empower professionals to perform better in these essential, uniquely human areas.

The ultimate “sigh of relief” for lawyers, especially in large markets like Brazil (over 1.5 million professionals), is improved work-life balance. AI enables enhanced performance while gaining more time for personal life, friends, and family, leading to more fulfilling lives.

Inspira, in its growth stage, invites Web Summit Lisbon 2025 attendees to visit their booth. Mr. Ferreira encouraged discussion on how AI is reshaping the legal industry, offering a clear path towards a more balanced and efficient future for legal professionals worldwide.