A VinciWorks survey conducted at LegalGeek 2025 reveals that cultural resistance and cost are the most significant barriers to law firms adopting modern compliance technology. Despite widespread recognition of the inefficiencies in manual systems, many legal professionals continue to rely on spreadsheets and ad hoc tools due to budget restraints and the fear of change.
VinciWorks polled 40 legal professionals, including private practice solicitors and in-house counsel, during the conference, asking them about confidence in compliance data, barriers to tech adoption, automation appetite, and future priorities. When asked what held them back, 35% pointed to culture or resistance to change, and a third (33%) cited cost. Respondents said firms are often stuck in legacy habits, risk-averse mindsets, and partner-driven decision-making that makes it hard to shift processes, even where inefficiencies are obvious.
One respondent noted that many firms still operate compliance via spreadsheets because they believe they cannot justify the cost of a dedicated solution. In fact, the time and billable hours lost to manual coordination, version control, quality checks, and duplication often outweigh license fees. As Nick Henderson-Mayo, Head of Compliance at VinciWorks, puts it: “Many firms still rely on spreadsheets simply because change feels risky and partners often drive tech decisions. It’s a false economy: the hours lost to manual compliance work often exceed what a quality platform would cost.”
In terms of compliance priorities, data protection (28%) and risk management (25%) emerged as the areas most at risk of falling behind without better technology. Yet while many firms recognise the need for stronger systems, they remain cautious about fully automating critical processes. Nearly 60% of respondents said their compliance functions still lack automation, and only one person claimed there was “too much” automation. At the same time, three-fifths (60%) could not name a task they would categorically refuse to automate, suggesting openness to selective adoption.
Confidence in data accuracy is mixed. Just under a third (32.5%) of legal professionals said they were “very confident” in their organisation’s compliance data, while 42.5% were “somewhat confident.” A combined 25% expressed either low confidence or uncertainty. Meanwhile, when asked about main compliance focuses for 2026, data protection priorities once again skewed to the top (18%), though nearly half (48%) of respondents had yet to settle on a priority.
These findings echo broader UK trends. A 2023 Law Society report on attitudes to lawtech noted that legal professionals were hesitant to embrace new technologies. It revealed that management’s lack of understanding is creating a barrier to trying out technologies like artificial intelligence in the legal services sector, especially those in smaller firms.
The LegalGeek survey is by no means definitive, nor does it claim statistical representativeness. But it offers a timely snapshot of how legal professionals view compliance technology in 2025 and the obstacles, internal and external, that still stand in the way of transformation.
Firms looking to overcome the barriers of culture and cost don’t have to overhaul everything at once. VinciWorks’ Legal Compliance Suite gives law firms flexible, workflow-driven tools to replace spreadsheets, centralise data, and automate key processes – from client onboarding to risk management and data protection.
To strengthen compliance culture and awareness across your firm, explore VinciWorks’ Course Catalogue for Law Firms and our dedicated Law Firm Compliance resources, covering everything from SRA compliance to AML, sanctions, and risk training.
