Webinar: From data chaos to AI readiness - Why law firms need a stronger foundation

In this TalkingTech webinar, Legal IT Insider's editor Caroline Hill spoke with Elite's CTO John Machado about one of the most pressing challenges facing law firms today: how to build a data strategy capable of supporting the AI revolution. While AI dominates industry conversations, Machado warns that many firms are racing ahead with new tools before putting the right data foundations in place. He explains that law firms were already at different stages of digital transformation when generative AI arrived, creating a fragmented landscape where levels of data maturity vary significantly. Firms that had already invested in centralised data, reporting and business intelligence have generally been better positioned to capitalise on AI opportunities. A key theme throughout the discussion is the growing tension between “best of breed” technology strategies and the need for more integrated enterprise platforms. For years, firms have accumulated specialist point solutions, but the result has often been fragmented data, complex integrations and limited visibility across the business. Machado argues that the industry is now moving towards a more connected future, where enterprise platforms, data lakes and modern integration technologies can provide a single source of truth. The conversation explores the increasing role of Microsoft Fabric and data lake architectures in helping firms consolidate information from multiple systems. Machado outlines how Elite’s Data Connect and Fabric connectors enable real-time access to data, helping firms move beyond siloed reporting and towards richer, AI-enabled insights. Hill and Machado also examine the rise of agentic AI and what it means for law firms. While adoption is still in its early stages, firms are beginning to experiment with systems that not only provide answers but also take actions. Success, however, depends on reliable, governed and accessible data. Security, governance and cloud migration are also high on the agenda. Machado explains why modern cloud environments and trusted technology ecosystems are becoming increasingly critical as firms prepare for more advanced AI use cases. Listen to the full webinar for a thought-provoking discussion on AI readiness, data governance, platform consolidation and the practical steps law firms can take today to prepare for the next generation of legal technology.