NetDocuments: How Context Transforms the Work of Lawyers and the Tools they Use
| Wednesday, September 9, 2026 |
| 2:40 PM - 2:50 PM |
| Wala Mirr Theatre |
Overview
AI adoption in law firms is accelerating faster than the governance and infrastructure needed to support it. Many firms report high usage of general AI tools, yet few have formal policies, training, or a clear strategy in place, leaving leaders exposed to inconsistent quality and unmanaged risk.
This session explores why context, not just information or technology, is the missing piece in legal AI adoption. Lawyers and their tools need context on every matter: who the parties are, prior positions, key documents, and embedded risks. Today, that context is scattered across systems and people's heads, making it hard to access and harder to scale.
We'll discuss what "context" actually means in legal work, how it differs from simply having more data or more tools, and why so many firms struggle to make it accessible and consistent across matters and teams. We'll also look at what changes for a lawyer starting a new matter when that context is genuinely within reach, versus when it isn't.
For firm leaders, the stakes are strategic: a firm's accumulated expertise is its greatest advantage, and how that knowledge is structured will shape every future AI investment. Attendees will leave with a framework for thinking about context as infrastructure.
Speaker
Eric Duncan
Legal Solutions Director
NetDocuments
How context transforms the work of lawyers and the tools they use
Biography
Eric Duncan is a University of Michigan law graduate who practiced in various corporate law areas such as M&A, finance and investment funds at Sidley, Wilson Sonsini and Kirkland & Ellis. At NetDocuments, Eric is the legal solutions director who focuses on working with our sales and product teams to provide his legal expertise to assist in the delivery of the company's products and services.
