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ARTICLE · 20 FEBRUARY 2026

Legal Sector Spotlight: Future @ Work 2026

Lewis Silkin
Lewis Silkin
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Lewis Silkin

Lewis Silkin

Joint managing partners: Jo Farmer, Richard Miskella International offices: Dublin, Hong Kong...

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The legal sector emerges from the Future @ Work 2026 report as confident, resilient, and operationally well prepared for disruption, yet structurally constrained by short-term incentives and underinvestment in people.

United KingdomEmployment and HR
Alessandro De Arcangelis
Alessandro De Arcangelis
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The legal sector emerges from the Future @ Work 2026 report as confident, resilient, and operationally well prepared for disruption, yet structurally constrained by short-term incentives and underinvestment in people. Law firms are among the most advanced adopters of AI and leaders in embedding ESG and DEI into decision-making.

At the same time, they report the strongest tilt towards short-term planning, the heaviest prioritisation of technology over workforce development, and the most polarised shift in employee sentiment of any sector.

The data therefore suggests a profession that is coping well with immediate pressures while simultaneously accumulating long-term risk. AI is accelerating existing fault lines in workforce design, particularly around early-career development and leadership pipelines. Confidence remains high, but it is increasingly decoupled from sustainable capability-building.

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