Giving legal teams access to GenAI today is like giving office professionals Excel in the 1990s.
The tool was suddenly everywhere. Most people used it to make basic lists or total a column. Very few understood how to apply it to scenario planning, automation, or more complex tasks.
Yes, Excel added more features over time. But the real shift happened when people started thinking differently about what the tool could do. Analysts and finance professionals helped reshape how Excel was used — pushing it far beyond basic arithmetic into a platform for modeling, forecasting, and strategic decision-making.
Even now, decades later, people are still unlocking its potential. From Reddit threads to “ExcelTok,” users swap formulas and hacks. Influencers like Miss Excel have built entire careers helping others master a tool they’ve technically had for years.
Because having access isn’t the same as having fluency. And knowing where to click is very different from knowing what’s possible.
AI in legal is at a similar inflection point. The tools will continue to evolve. But the biggest barrier right now isn’t technological. It’s about building the confidence and mindset needed to make meaningful use of what’s already available.
A Confidence Gap That Few Want to Admit
It’s a challenge few want to talk about. Lawyers are used to being the most capable person in the room. They’re trained to have answers. GenAI turns that dynamic around. It’s new, fast-moving, and public. Some are energized. But for many, it brings discomfort — even embarrassment.
Lawyers are not used to being out of their depth, and they certainly don’t want to raise their hand and say so.
That’s why the skills gap in legal isn’t always visible. It’s felt in silence — in hesitation, in skipped opportunities, in pilots that don’t scale. It’s not just a technical issue. It’s cultural.
And right now, it’s holding legal back.
To close the skills gap requires a shift – and not one led by the tech savvy minority. It will depend on everyone, regardless of their AI starting point, having the opportunity to explore, practice, and apply GenAI meaningfully.
From Access to Impact: A Hidden Opportunity
According to Factor’s 2025 GenAI in Legal Benchmarking Report, over 60% of legal departments now provide GenAI access to most or all team members. But fewer than one in five legal professionals feel “very confident” using it. Nearly half say they “can just about get by.” And more than one in five say they “really need help.”
The message is clear: the tools are in place, but the confidence and imagination around how to use them hasn’t caught up.
That’s not a failure. It’s a signal that legal has moved from the access phase to the capability phase.
This isn’t a question of waiting for better tools. It’s about helping people at all levels build fluency in how GenAI can support the work they’re already doing.
Beyond the Basics
Many legal teams have started with prompt guides or product demos. These are helpful openers, but they’re only one part of the journey.
GenAI adoption depends on more than prompt literacy. It requires a shift in how legal professionals think about their day-to-day work.
As one GC and Sense Collective member put it, “It’s not about learning the tool. It’s about building fluency. That’s what unlocks confidence — and results.”
That kind of fluency comes from experience. It builds over time, through practical exposure to real legal tasks, space to experiment, and support to refine.
Three Capabilities Legal Teams Need to Build
1. Confidence
Not everyone will feel ready on day one. That’s fine. What matters is giving people the opportunity to test GenAI in low-stakes situations. Reviewing a clause. Summarizing a policy. When the pressure’s off, the intimidation fades — and confidence starts to build.
2. Competence
Structured approaches help teams get better results. Breaking down tasks clearly, thinking through context, and using proven techniques can significantly improve the quality of AI outputs. These habits are what turn curiosity into capability.
3. Creativity
The shift happens when legal professionals stop seeing AI as just a shortcut — and start using it to think in new ways. They begin prototyping ideas, triaging work, comparing scenarios. This kind of creativity doesn’t come from theory. It comes from use.
A New Kind of Training for a New Kind of Tool
Let’s be honest. No finance team ever got more strategic by using Excel to make a shopping list.
The same goes for GenAI.
To get results, legal teams need more than surface-level exposure. They need hands-on experience that reflects the complexity and nuance of their actual work — from contract redlines to portfolio reviews to compliance sweeps.
The good news? We’re still early in the curve. There’s room for everyone to start. Whether you’re a junior lawyer or a GC, you don’t need a technical background to build fluency. But you do need time to develop a foundation: how to use the tools, when they make sense, how to interpret what they produce, and how to make them part of your working rhythm.
What Comes Next
The legal teams that move ahead in GenAI adoption won’t be the ones with the flashiest pilots or most sophisticated tech stacks. They’ll be the ones that invest in building confidence and competence across the team — not just in a small innovation function.
This isn’t about racing ahead. It’s about creating a path for more people to join.
Because the tools are here. The opportunity is real.
And just like with Excel, the advantage won’t go to those who got access first. It’ll go to those who take the time to build basic mastery — and grow with the tools as they evolve.
Find out more Sensemaker Academy, our hands-on GenAI training program built specifically for lawyers and legal professionals.
