A recent report sheds light on the growing gap in the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the Spanish legal sector, where large firms are advancing rapidly while boutique firms and the Public Administration struggle to keep up. The consulting firm Foqum Analytics, through its study Legal AI View 2026, confirms that AI is already a tangible tool in the legal field, although its implementation varies significantly depending on the size and resources of each organization. Investment capacity, data quality, and pressure to improve efficiency make a difference. Legal publishers are leading the digital transformation, achieving a maturity score of 7 out of 10 thanks to their access to structured data and the integration of technologies such as semantic search and automated case law analysis. They are followed by the legal departments of large companies and larger law firms, with a score of 4, driven by the need to optimize processes like contract review and the automation of repetitive tasks. In contrast, boutique firms barely exceed the initial level of adoption, and the Public Administration remains at a score of 1, hindered by the complexity of its systems and strict data protection requirements. Currently, AI is mainly used for document management, clause extraction, risk detection in due diligence, transcription of judicial audio, and anonymization of sensitive data. Virtual assistants, although highly visible in the media, are still limited to basic query triage tasks. The report highlights that the main barriers are not technological but cultural and structural. The traditionally conservative legal sector shows reluctance to change, while investment in AI remains limited, representing only between 2% and 5% of law firms' technology budgets. Additionally, there are concerns about data security, regulation, and the lack of specialized training. Looking ahead to 2026, the challenge will be to leverage the accumulated knowledge in law firms' servers, transforming decades of experience and case law into strategic assets that allow for risk anticipation and improved decision-making. AI will not replace lawyers, but it will redefine their role, freeing them from routine tasks and enhancing their analytical and strategic capabilities. New technological competencies are emerging as essential for the legal professional of the future. Source: elconfidencialdigital.com