By Julie Bays, OBA Management Assistance Program Director

As we close out the year and look ahead to 2026, it’s a good time to pause and take stock of how much law office management and legal technology changed in 2025. If you missed our End of the Year Review seminars, now is a great time to catch up. Here are a few highlights that stood out for law office management and technology this year

AI Is Now a Daily Practice Tool (With Real Consequences)

Artificial intelligence moved from “interesting experiment” to everyday tool for many lawyers. Research, drafting, summarization, and document review can now happen faster than ever. But 2025 also made one thing clear: efficiency does not replace professional judgment. Courts around the country sanctioned lawyers for filing briefs containing AI-generated, fabricated citations. The takeaway is simple but critical—AI can assist your work, but lawyers remain responsible for verifying every fact and citation before anything is filed or sent.

Billing, Fees, and the Value Conversation

With technology speeding up routine tasks, firms are rethinking how they bill. A notable development this year was new ethics guidance from the state of Virginia confirming that lawyers are not required to discount their fees simply because AI makes them more efficient. Instead, the focus is shifting toward value-based billing and clearly explaining to clients what they are paying for: judgment, experience, and results and not just time spent. https://www.vacourts.gov/static/courts/scv/amendments/leo_1901.pdf

Big Tech Changes Mean Big Planning Considerations

2025 also brought major consolidation in legal technology, including billion-dollar acquisitions that signal a future of more integrated platforms. While this can mean fewer logins and smoother workflows, it also reinforces the importance of understanding your software, your data, and your long-term exit and migration plans. Law office management is no longer just about people and paper; it’s also about vendors, contracts, and systems that evolve quickly.

Resilience Matters More Than Ever

Cloud outages this year were a wake-up call. When systems go down, work can grind to a halt. Smart firms are building redundancy into their practices by syncing calendars across platforms, maintaining secure backups, and training staff on what to do when technology fails. Technology boosts efficiency, but resilience protects clients.

If you want a deeper dive into these topics and others, our End of the Year Review seminars are available and worth your time. https://ok.webcredenza.com/program?id=87136

A little reflection now can make your practice stronger, more resilient, and better prepared for the year ahead.

Here’s to a productive and thoughtful start to 2026.