Agentic AI to the Rescue? From Billable Hours to Bots: The New Legal Workflow | A Conversation with Frida Torkelsen and Maged Helmy | Redefining CyberSecurity with Sean Martin

May 26, 2025

Frida Torkelsen, AI Solution Architect at Newcode.ai, and Maged Helmy, Associate Professor of AI and CEO of Newcode.ai, dive into the integration of agentic AI in the legal sector. They discuss how large firms are optimizing historical data through customized AI agents, while smaller firms leverage specific automation for a competitive edge. The conversation also highlights the importance of human oversight, ensuring cybersecurity, and the transformative impact of AI on workflow efficiency and innovation in law.

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INSIGHT

Agentic AI Unlocks Dynamic Legal Tasks

Agentic AI allows models to dynamically access current tools and data instead of relying on static, outdated knowledge.
This unlocks new legal use cases and improves existing ones by providing timely, relevant information for decisions.

INSIGHT

Different AI Goals by Firm Size

Large law firms aim to extract value from years of historical legal data using AI agents.
Smaller and niche firms focus on automating specialized workflows for tactical advantage and efficiency.

INSIGHT

AI Agents For Knowledge and Cost

Law firms use AI agents for knowledge inheritance, helping new cases benefit from past winning cases.
In-house legal teams seek to reduce outside counsel costs by automating routine tasks.

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⬥GUESTS⬥

Frida Torkelsen, PhD | AI Solution Architect at Newcode.ai | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frida-h-torkelsen/

Maged Helmy, PhD | Assoc. Professor - AI at University of South-Eastern Norway and Founder & CEO of Newcode.ai | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/magedhelmy/

⬥HOST⬥

Host: Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imsmartin/ | Website: https://www.seanmartin.com

⬥EPISODE NOTES⬥

Agentic AI is rapidly moving from theoretical promise to practical implementation, and few sectors are feeling this shift as acutely as the legal industry. In this episode of Redefining CyberSecurity, Sean Martin is joined by Frida Torkelsen, a Solution Architect, and Maged Helmy, a professor of AI, to explore how law firms and in-house counsel are applying AI agents to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and unlock strategic capabilities—while navigating critical privacy and security concerns.

Frida explains how large firms are seeking to extract value from their troves of historical legal data through bespoke AI agents designed to automate workflows and improve institutional knowledge sharing. Smaller firms, on the other hand, benefit by building narrow, purpose-driven agents that automate core functions and give them a tactical edge. This democratization of capability—fueled by faster iteration and reduced development cost—could be a strategic win for niche firms that are disciplined in their focus.

Maged emphasizes the architectural shift AI agents introduce. Unlike static queries to large language models with fixed knowledge, agents access tools, data, and live systems to execute tasks dynamically. This expands the use case potential—but also the risk. Because agentic systems operate probabilistically, consistent outputs aren’t guaranteed, and testing becomes more about evaluating outcomes across a range of inputs than expecting deterministic results.

Security risk looms large. Maged shares how a single oversight in permissions allowed an agent to make system-wide changes that corrupted his environment. Frida cautions against over-permissive access, noting that agents tapping into shared calendars or HR databases must respect internal boundaries and compliance obligations. Both guests agree that human-in-the-loop validation is essential, especially in environments with strict data governance needs.

Law firms must reassess both internal information architecture and team readiness before implementing agentic systems. Start with a clear understanding of the business problem, validate access scopes, and track outcomes for accuracy, speed, and cost. Legal tech teams are forming around these efforts, but success will depend on whether these roles stay grounded in solving specific legal problems—not chasing the latest AI trend.

⬥SPONSORS⬥

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⬥RESOURCES⬥

Newsletter: The Law's Great Recalibration: Inside the Tech-Driven Puzzle of Legal Firm Transformation: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/laws-great-recalibration-inside-tech-driven-puzzle-sean-martin-cissp-clnoe/

⬥ADDITIONAL INFORMATION⬥

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