Next-Gen Agentic Workflows Open Early Access; FTC Bans Rollins Noncompetes; Intellegal Launches

Ningsi Mei

Ningsi Mei

— 2 min read
Next-Gen Agentic Workflows Open Early Access; FTC Bans Rollins Noncompetes; Intellegal Launches

June 23, 2026

The legal technology landscape is shifting rapidly from static chat-based questions to autonomous, multi-stage agentic workflows. Leading this charge, Thomson Reuters has opened early access to the next generation of CoCounsel Legal, rebuilt on Anthropic’s Claude Agent SDK. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continues its aggressive stance on labor restriction by finalizing a consent order banning Rollins Inc. from enforcing noncompetes.

Here is what these developments, along with other major legaltech shifts, mean for small and mid-sized businesses (SMEs) and modern legal teams today.

On June 22, 2026, Thomson Reuters opened early access to the next generation of its legal AI assistant, CoCounsel Legal. Moving away from standard query-and-response interfaces, the new version utilizes Anthropic’s Claude Agent SDK.

So what? This change allows the AI to function less like a chatbot and more like an autonomous staff member. It can plan, execute, and cross-reference complex, multi-stage workflows—such as executing compliance audits against thousands of pages of contracts or drafting localized corporate agreements. For SMEs without in-house counsel, agentic AI will drastically lower the cost of complex document audits.

2. Regulatory Enforcement: FTC Bans Rollins Noncompete Covenants

On June 22, 2026, the FTC finalized a consent order requiring Rollins Inc. (and its pest-control subsidiaries) to immediately cease enforcing restrictive noncompete covenants.

So what? This action signals that despite ongoing federal court battles regarding the nationwide noncompete ban, the FTC is still aggressively targeting individual corporations for anticompetitive labor agreements. Businesses employing workers in the U.S. must immediately audit their employment agreements to remove overreaching noncompete terms. Continuing to enforce these clauses risks severe regulatory scrutiny and potential consent decrees.

3. Ask.Legal English Law Expansion & Regional AI Launches

DocPro’s Ask.Legal platform has expanded its capabilities to include English law analytics under a pay-as-you-go pricing model. Simultaneously, Technese Legaltech Inc. launched Intellegal, an AI-powered legal research and review platform tailored specifically for the Philippine legal system.

So what? Startup and SME founders often face prohibitively high hourly rates when dealing with cross-border transactions under English law or local regulations in emerging markets. Platforms like Ask.Legal lower the financial barrier to entry, enabling businesses to perform initial agreement reviews and query resolution without incurring massive retainer fees.

Actionable Compliance Steps for SMEs

  • Audit Employment Contracts: Proactively remove or redraft noncompete covenants in your employment agreements to align with the FTC’s strict stance on restrictive covenants.
  • Implement Agentic Tools: Begin piloting agentic AI tools for repetitive, multi-stage administrative and contract-review tasks to reduce external legal spend.
  • Manage AI Sourcing Boundaries: When utilizing pay-as-you-go platforms like Ask.Legal, ensure your procurement contracts include strict data privacy controls to prevent proprietary business data from training public LLMs.

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