How Should Law Firms Manage Access to Legal AI Tools?
A Legal AI rollout can stall before a single lawyer signs in, held up by an identity exception IT can't approve.
The short answer: Law firms should manage access to Legal AI tools through the same identity provider that governs every other system. That means single sign-on (SSO) for sign-in and automated provisioning for users and groups. This keeps access in step with the directory, closes offboarding gaps, and avoids the security exceptions that stall AI rollouts.
Why Is Legal AI Access an Identity Problem?
Legal AI works on the most sensitive material a firm holds: client documents, matter history, and positions negotiated over years. Access to it deserves the same governance as the document management system (DMS) and email. In practice, that isn't always what IT gets. Some tools arrive with their own sign-in. Others support only one identity provider, so a firm standardized on another platform must choose between a workaround and a delay.
That choice matters more every quarter. According to the 8am 2026 Legal Industry Report, 87% of lawyers at large firms use AI, but only 21% of firms have adopted it firm-wide. Individual use is easy. Governed, firm-wide use is where the value lives, and governance starts with who can sign in.
What Goes Wrong When a Platform Keeps Its Own User List?
Every platform that manages users outside the firm's identity provider creates a second source of truth. The risks build quietly:
- Offboarding gaps: a lawyer leaves and the directory updates, but the separate account stays active until someone remembers to remove it
- Access drift: changes to practice groups and matter teams in the directory never reach the platform's own groups
- Inconsistent policy: multi-factor authentication (MFA) and sign-in rules set in the identity provider don't apply to accounts it doesn't manage
- Audit burden: security teams reconcile two user lists every time a client asks who had access
- Stalled rollouts: security reviews flag the exception, and lawyers wait while a platform the firm already paid for sits unused
None of these is a dramatic failure. Together, they turn a Legal AI investment into a standing exception on the security team's list.
What Should IT Require From Any Legal AI Platform?
Before any Legal AI platform reaches lawyers, IT and security leaders can hold it to a short checklist.
| Requirement | Why it matters | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Support for your identity provider | Avoids exceptions and parallel sign-in | Which identity providers do you support today? |
| Automated provisioning | Keeps users and groups in sync with the directory | Do you support System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) for users and groups? |
| Policies enforced at sign-in | MFA and sign-in rules apply to every user | Are our identity provider's sign-in policies applied to your platform? |
| Certified security posture | Gives clients and risk committees evidence, not promises | Which certifications do you hold? |
| No new logins for lawyers | Adoption depends on lawyers never noticing the plumbing | Will lawyers sign in any differently than they do today? |
How Does the Litera Platform Work With Okta?
Litera now supports Okta as an identity provider for the Litera Platform, alongside Microsoft Entra ID. That removes the exception for firms that standardize on Okta, and many of the largest firms do. According to the ILTA 2026 Technology Survey, Okta is the SSO or identity access management platform at 19% of firms with 700 or more lawyers. Respondents could select more than one platform, so many of those firms run Entra ID too.
Here's how the connection works:
- Sign-in: lawyers start at the same Microsoft sign-in page they use today. Federation then redirects them to Okta, where the firm's Okta sign-in policies apply
- Provisioning: Okta provisions users and groups directly into the Litera Platform through SCIM, so access follows the directory
- Experience: once lawyers sign in, the platform works exactly as it does for any tenant, including the add-ins they use in Word and Outlook
This matters beyond IT. The Litera Platform brings together the tools lawyers use across a matter, from drafting and comparison to document protection. It also includes Lito, Litera's award-winning Legal AI agent, inside the applications lawyers already work in. When identity isn't a blocker, the firm gets to the part that counts: lawyers using AI they can trust on client work. The time it gives back can go into deeper client relationships and new matters. Every week a rollout waits on an identity exception is a week that value stays on the shelf.
The Litera Platform is built specifically for legal and certified to ISO 27001, SOC II Type 2, and SOC 3. It's backed by 30 years of building technology for law firms and legal departments.
What Do Firms Need Before They Connect Okta?
Okta support is available for new Litera Platform tenants. Before setup, IT teams should have:
- A Microsoft 365 subscription with Entra ID, which every Litera Platform tenant requires
- An Okta administrator who can create a SCIM application and assign users and groups
- A final decision on the identity provider, because it's selected once during tenant setup and can't be changed afterward
If your firm already runs an active Litera Platform tenant on Entra ID, talk to your account team about your options. Moving an active tenant to Okta isn't part of this first release.
Keep Your Identity Standard. Get the Whole Platform.
If your firm or legal department runs on Okta, the identity question no longer has to come before the AI question. Talk to your Litera account team to learn how Okta connects to the Litera Platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Litera Platform Support Okta?
Yes. Litera supports Okta as an identity provider for the Litera Platform, alongside Microsoft Entra ID. Users and groups are provisioned through SCIM.
Do We Still Need Microsoft 365 and Entra ID?
Yes. Every Litera Platform tenant requires a Microsoft 365 subscription with Entra ID. For Okta-based tenants, sign-in federates to Okta and Okta provisions users and groups.
Can a Tenant Already on Entra ID Switch to Okta?
Not in this release. Okta support is available for new tenants. Firms with an active Entra ID tenant can talk to their account team about future options.
What Does SCIM Provisioning Do?
SCIM keeps users and group memberships in the Litera Platform in sync with Okta. IT manages access in one place instead of maintaining a second user list.
Will Lawyers Sign In Differently?
No. Lawyers start at the same Microsoft sign-in page and are redirected to Okta. Once they're signed in, the platform and its add-ins work the same way.
Can We Change Identity Providers Later?
No. The identity provider is selected once during tenant setup, so confirm it with your IT and security teams before onboarding begins.
