Legaltech is growing double-digit in LATAM and artificial intelligence is transforming how law firms work. Tools like Harvey AI, Casetext, and LexisNexis AI are already used for contract analysis, legal research, and document drafting. The lawyers of the future need to combine legal knowledge with basic digital competencies in AI. Training in legaltech is a real competitive advantage in a market that is still not very saturated.

Law has always been a profession of texts: contracts, case files, rulings, opinions. And it turns out that AI is extraordinarily good at processing and generating text. That intersection is no coincidence: legaltech is exploding all over the world, and in LATAM it is just beginning to consolidate. If you're a lawyer, paralegal, or law student and you haven't yet explored what tools are available, this article is for you. Legaltech is no longer the future: it is a skill that sets apart those who land the best jobs and clients today.

What AI tools law firms are using today

Large firms no longer look only for experience: they look for speed and precision. Harvey AI (harvey.ai) makes it possible to review hundreds of pages of contracts in minutes, identify problematic clauses, and generate executive summaries. It was adopted by firms like Allen & Overy and PwC Legal. Casetext, acquired by Thomson Reuters, finds relevant case law in seconds thanks to its semantic search engine.

In Argentina and LATAM, the progress is more gradual but real. Platforms like Lexteca and firms that integrate ChatGPT or Claude into their workflows are making a difference compared to those who keep working in the traditional way. The most affected tasks are contract analysis, due diligence, case law research, and the generation of standard drafts.

According to data from Thomson Reuters, 82% of lawyers at leading firms already use or plan to use AI in the next 12 months. Adoption is no longer early: it is entering the mainstream of the legal market.

How legal work is changing with AI

AI does not replace the lawyer: it replaces the hours of mechanical work. A junior associate who previously spent a week reviewing contracts can now do it in hours. That frees up time for higher-value tasks: strategy, negotiation, client relationships.

According to the McKinsey Global Institute, 22% of tasks in the legal sector can be automated with current technology. What is not automated —and gains more value— is legal judgment, interpretation, and negotiation. To better understand how AI models work with text and complex documents, you can see this comparison of the main AI models available today.

The effect is also felt in fees: if reviewing 500 contracts previously justified weeks of billable work, clients now expect more speed. The lawyer who does not adapt loses competitiveness, not because AI replaces them, but because another lawyer with AI does it faster and at a lower cost.

What skills the lawyer of the future needs

You don't need to know how to program. You do need to develop a set of complementary skills that make it possible to leverage AI without losing legal judgment:

• Judgment to review AI outputs: models can hallucinate or misquote case law. The lawyer must know when to trust and when to verify independently.

• Writing effective prompts: knowing how to ask the AI exactly what it needs, with the right context, is a skill that is trained and makes a difference in the quality of the result.

• Knowledge of ethics and privacy: using AI with client data means knowing the legal and ethical implications of that decision, including which platforms are safe for sensitive data.

• Constant updating: the tool ecosystem changes fast. A lawyer who stops watching the market for six months can become outdated in an area that evolves week by week.

How to train in legaltech from LATAM

The good news is that there are concrete paths to train without needing to travel or do a two-year postgraduate program. Some options available today:

• Applied generative AI courses: learning to use tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini in text and document contexts is the first concrete step.

• International certifications in online format: Harvard, MIT, and other institutions offer short courses on legaltech and technology applied to law with recognized certificates.

• Direct practice in your real job: integrating AI into everyday tasks —contract review, case file summaries, case law search— is the most effective way to learn with immediate impact.

• Legaltech communities in LATAM: Legal Hackers has active chapters in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, São Paulo, and other cities. They are spaces where lawyers and technologists meet to share use cases and tools.

If you're interested in exploring this topic further, you can also read how to automate daily tasks with artificial intelligence.

Recommended Coderhouse courses

If you want to incorporate AI into your legal practice or explore the world of legaltech from scratch, these courses give you the conceptual and practical tools to get started:

• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Course: ideal if you're starting out and want to understand how AI models work and how to apply them to your everyday work with documents and texts.

• AI Automation Course: to automate repetitive tasks in your legal workflow with tools like Make and n8n, without needing to know how to program.

• AI Agents Course: if you already have a base in AI and want to explore autonomous agents that manage complex processes in a semi-automated way within a law firm.

Frequently asked questions

Can AI replace a lawyer?

No. Legal judgment, negotiation, and the client relationship are irreplaceable by current technology. What does change is that lawyers who use AI are more efficient than those who don't. AI eliminates the mechanical tasks —reviewing, summarizing, searching— and frees the professional for higher-value work.

Is it legal to use AI in legal practice in Argentina?

There is no legal prohibition, but the Bar Associations recommend not compromising client confidentiality when using third-party AI tools. It is essential to review the terms of service of each platform before uploading documents with sensitive client data. Enterprise versions of tools like ChatGPT offer greater privacy guarantees.

Which AI tools are most used in LATAM for legal work?

ChatGPT and Claude are the most used for drafting, summarizing, and analyzing documents in the region. Harvey AI is used mainly in international firms with operations in LATAM. In Argentina, the use of ChatGPT with custom prompts for contract review is growing among mid-sized firms that seek to increase their efficiency without large investments.

Do I need to know how to program to work in legaltech?

No. The most important thing is knowing how to build good prompts, understanding the limits of each tool, and developing judgment to review the outputs. Programming can add value in more technical roles, but it is not the entry point for most lawyers who start integrating AI into their practice.

How do I protect my clients' confidentiality when using AI?

There are several practical measures: use tools that offer enterprise confidentiality contracts like ChatGPT Enterprise, anonymize the data before uploading it, and never share documents with personal client identification on free platforms without a privacy agreement. The golden rule: if the data is sensitive, don't put it in a free tool.