Practical steps law firms can take towards adopting AI

Matthew Stringer, founder and CEO

There’s a lot of talk currently about the positive business benefits associated with adopting generative AI. But if you’re in a law firm, you’re probably asking a more practical question – where do we even start?

That’s why we want to cut through the noise and focus on straightforward, actionable strategies that firms can put into action today and start seeing real results.

AI should not be viewed as yet another technology upgrade, it’s about real organisational change. And if we get it right, the impact can be huge – not just for productivity, but for employee wellbeing too.

Day to day, part of the work that I do with our strategic legal clients is working out what their future road map looks like. And that’s about looking at how we really embed technology in a business. Not just operationally, but how we can leverage technology to further advance our outcomes, our business plans and positively impact our people. And that’s the way we think businesses should be approaching AI – in a more holistic, organisation-wide approach.

Start with the basics

Before you roll out AI across any law firm, you need to take a step back and ask yourself what you are trying to achieve. When I speak to legal professionals across any of our client base, I typically start by asking them the following questions:

• What are your organisation’s goals for using AI?
• What problems are you trying to solve?
• Where are the pain points? Is it admin overload, time lost in meetings, lack of consistency in service delivery?
• What concerns do you have around data and security?
• What capabilities do you already have in place?
• Do you have a clear data strategy?
• Do you have the infrastructure and people in place to support AI adoption?

These questions form the base of your AI strategy. Without answering them first, it’s easy to end up with tools that don’t get used or projects that lose momentum. And that just leads to disillusionment.

AI is already here, but many firms are overwhelmed by information overload

Most firms already have AI in their business, whether they realise it or not. Many legal technology tools now include some form of AI functions such as; document review, time recording, compliance checks. But in most cases, it’s happening without a clear plan.

Furthermore, the issue of Shadow AI is becoming a real issue. We see employees in many law firms already using generative AI tools like ChatGPT off their own backs. That brings risks around data privacy, regulatory and insurance issues as well as inconsistency in work output, and client value. But it also shows there’s demand and intrigue. Legal professionals are ultimately looking for better ways to work. In many cases, clients are demanding it.

Why Microsoft 365 Copilot makes sense

Across the law firms we work with in the UK and US, most are already heavily invested in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and are familiar with its core functionality. That’s why Microsoft 365 Copilot is a strong starting point for any AI adoption journey.

It’s already integrated into the tools legal professionals use every day such as Word, Outlook and Teams, so getting started doesn’t require a steep learning curve. You’re building on a solid foundation of existing knowledge and usage. Furthermore, Copilot also works within the security, permissions and compliance frameworks your firm has already put in place.

It’s a low-friction entry point to AI, and with the right change and adoption support in place, it’s capable of delivering value fast.

Simple steps to driving Copilot success

For any law firm considering AI adoption, it’s important to start by defining a roadmap and thinking about how it will work in practice. Here are some key steps to consider when going through this critical planning stage:

1. Purpose
   Define your strategy, objectives and build a clear business case. What do you want AI to achieve? Where are the pressure points? Identify key stakeholders across the business who are going to help define the vision and be AI advocates from day one. Think about clear scenarios where AI can help and identify ‘hero’ use cases. Start with areas where you can achieve the broadest quick wins, like intelligent meeting recap, automatic meeting notes or summarising email chains.
2. Readiness
   Once you’ve established your purpose, review your existing security setup, compliance and technical infrastructure. When you work with a technology partner, they will support you in putting clear policies in place which guide how generative AI should be maximised. Identify the secure AI platform that is going to be right for your business. Use simple frameworks like a traffic light system (green = safe, amber = cautious, red = do not use) to help people understand what’s acceptable.
3. Drive cultural change
   Don’t just engage your IT team, choose champions from right across the business so that you get that collective buy-in and can drive cultural change when it comes to AI adoption. Let them test use cases and share feedback. Develop basic training and guidance that makes sense for different roles, practice groups and business support teams.
4. Create a Proof of Value
   With your team of champions, start to build some early momentum. Uncover those early use cases and test what can work well operationally and what needs more refinement. For each use case identify the potential benefit to your business. The proof of value phase will enable you to quantify return on investment into AI, create excitement and opportunity with your champions and provide a clear and solid foundation from which to launch a wider initiative.
5. Scale
   Once you’ve proven the value, and developed a centre of excellence with your champions, it’s time to build on success through the development of a business wide rollout. Once you’ve completed your first phase, it is critical to continually measure success and progress. Use tools like the Copilot Dashboard to track adoption and encourage teams to share what’s working. That peer-to-peer feedback is one of the most powerful ways to drive long-term change. Adopting a test and learn mentality will also enable you to scale at pace.

More than just efficiency

AI isn’t just about reducing costs, driving productivity and improving efficiency. It’s about unlocking time in people’s day and improving how they feel about their work. It can reduce admin workload, cut down on repetitive tasks, and give people more time to focus on what matters like working with clients, developing strategy or just getting home on time.

I often hear concerns in the legal sector about burnout and wellbeing. AI gives us a real opportunity to ease that pressure, if we use it properly.

The promise of AI is enormous. But it can also be overwhelming. Start small, build momentum and focus on people, not just technology. That’s how law firms will win with AI.

If you’re keen to implement generative AI more widely in your firm then check out our recent webinar series here or reach out to us for a chat at insights@stridon.co.uk.