The International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) recently published its 2026 technology survey, revealing some unexpected insights into the popularity of AI products among law firms. Despite a significant presence at ILTACON by leading legal AI vendors like CoCounsel, Harvey, and Legora, the survey’s findings suggest a different leader in the AI space for law firms.
According to the ILTA survey, Microsoft 365 Copilot emerged as the most popular AI product among law firms. The survey included responses from over 500 law firms globally and indicated that 76% of these firms are utilizing or considering Microsoft 365 Copilot. This is a notable lead over other AI solutions, even though major legal tech players had a strong presence at the ILTA conference.
The second position in terms of popularity was a close contest among several products: Thomson Reuters CoCounsel, Harvey, and Anthropic’s Claude, each utilized by approximately 44% of firms. Surprisingly, Legora lagged behind with just 16% usage, trailing products like Lexis+AI and ChatGPT Enterprise.
The survey further dissected AI usage by firm size. Firms with fewer than 50 lawyers showed similar trends, with Microsoft 365 Copilot leading at 59%, followed by Claude and CoCounsel. Among larger firms, those with over 700 lawyers, Microsoft 365 Copilot maintained its top position, although its lead narrowed against Harvey.
Another area of interest in the survey was the stage of AI deployment. While many firms are in the exploratory phase, two AI products have seen significant deployment. Microsoft Copilot, with 52% of firms reporting full deployment, and Westlaw Advantage, at 50%, are leading the way. However, a clarification is needed regarding the exact version of Microsoft Copilot referenced, as the survey’s terminology raised some confusion.
Interestingly, the survey also highlighted the AI products law firms are currently testing or piloting. The iManage AI tools came out on top, specifically iManage AI Enrichment and Ask iManage, with vast majorities of firms assessing their potential.
Despite the expanding AI presence, law firms are equally mindful of the associated security risks. For the first time, generative AI was ranked as a significant security challenge in the survey, second only to user behavior-related risks.
The findings offer a comprehensive view of AI trends through a legal lens and illustrate law firms’ evolving approaches to integrating advanced technologies. More detailed insights from this survey are accessible on ILTA’s website.