Wills and LPAs in the digital age: AI, legal tech and what’s next

Technology in private client practice is moving at extraordinary speed. Developments that were largely theoretical only a short time ago — from sophisticated generative AI to increasingly digital estate planning processes — are rapidly becoming part of the day-to-day reality for lawyers and their clients.

The webinar will explore the growing role of AI in legal practice, moving beyond the question of whether lawyers should use AI to consider how it can be used safely, effectively and ethically. It will examine practical applications across the client and matter lifecycle, while considering the professional obligations, confidentiality, accuracy and supervision issues that accompany them.

The webinar will also revisit the continuing digitisation of wills and LPAs, including developments in the legislative and regulatory landscape, and consider what increasingly digital processes could mean for capacity, undue influence, fraud, identity verification and safeguarding vulnerable clients.

Alongside the opportunities, Jade will explore an increasingly important asset for modern law firms: data. As legal technology becomes more sophisticated, the quality, structure and accessibility of a firm’s data will increasingly determine how effectively it can adopt new technology and AI.

Topics covered include:

• What’s changed? A brief update on the technological and legal developments affecting private client practice since 2025
• AI in 2026: how generative AI and legal-specific AI tools have evolved and what this means for solicitors
• From experimentation to implementation: practical uses of AI for drafting, summarising, file review, knowledge management, client intake and administrative workflows
• AI as an assistant, not a lawyer: maintaining human judgement, professional responsibility and appropriate supervision
• Risk, ethics and regulation: confidentiality, data protection, hallucinations, bias, transparency and the professional obligations surrounding AI use
• The continuing digitisation of LPAs: where we are now and what digital processes mean for practitioners and clients
• The future of wills: developments around electronic and digital wills and the practical consequences for execution, evidence and probate
• Safeguarding in a digital world: capacity, undue influence, identity verification, fraud and recognising red flags when traditional face-to-face safeguards are reduced
• Your firm’s data matters: why clean, structured and accessible data is becoming increasingly important for automation, AI and future legal technology
• Preparing for what comes next: practical steps private client firms can take now without chasing every new piece of technology