2026 Legal Tech Trends: What's Happening Below the Surface

Legal tech is starting to shift from AI-enhanced tools that help lawyers work faster to AI-native systems that change how legal work gets done. In this episode of the AAAi Podcast, Bridget McCormack and Zach Abramowitz are joined by Bob Ambrogi, the founder of LawSites and host of the LawNext podcast, and Timo Karakashev, founder of Cosmonauts, to explore what this shift looks like heading into 2026. They discuss new platform models, emerging AI-native law firms, and the move toward AI as a decision-maker in courts and arbitration. At the heart of the conversation is where pressure is building within the legal system, and why some of the most important changes are happening below the surface.