In my recent series of blogs regarding rest, recuperation, productivity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) I have touched upon how we have been exploring as a firm the productivity benefits and the client facing enhancements that AI can offer, all the time of course, being alert to the risks and the fact that we operate within the most heavily regulated sector within England and Wales, and arguably one of the most regulated professional service areas in the world.
In this blog, I summarise some key ideas that I invite law firms, whether they are clients or prospective clients, to reflect upon. These are as follows:
- AI is the most significant platform shift since Apple introduced the iPhone: it is nothing more than a platform shift. For all the scary talk of end of the world technology, or indeed a cultural end to civilisation as we know it, rather like electricity, or indeed the introduction of desktop computers, or the emergence of social media, despite the noise, what law firms are likely to experience, and the whole of society is expected to experience, is the most significant platform shift in a decade and a half, nothing more, nothing less.
This is not my unique take, but that of the technology thought leader Benedict Evans. I happen to agree.
- There are barriers to the platform shift that is underway: the fear of society, the hallucinations which law firms have experienced in court cases, both in England and Wales and in other jurisdictions. However, the reality is that generative AI requires a significant amount of electricity and data, and this will result in delays in its capacity for adoption.
- Productivity Tool Focus: for law firms, we probably want to pick the productivity tools and the shift in working methodologies that most suit us, but which our systems can already cope with.
- Generative AI requires vast amounts of generalised text: this means that data has become a commodity more than ever. Protect your client data as a first principle.
- Data Security: for law firms and their clients, the protection of data, and therefore cybersecurity, has probably increased as a consequence of the LLM model.
- ChatGPT: this chatbot may have captured the brand position like Google did for internet searches a couple of generations ago, but the underlying chatbot models are increasingly similar commodities with limited product differentiation.
For law firms, knowing that ChatGPT raises concerns regarding data usage means that focusing on the safety and security of client data will be key. We do not use ChatGPT for client work; however, we have used it to gain an understanding of it. In our view, it is not right for us or our clients at this time.
We are not anti-ChatGPT; we have used it for social play purposes, but it is not a work tool in our view. It is a toy, not a tool, but other chatbots may prove more useful in the future.
- Research demonstrates that only about 10% of people use AI daily, and another 15% to 20% weekly. This is with free access! The adoption in terms of uptake is therefore probably unmatched. Replacing Google searches with Google AI answers is just an evolution of search.
It is not necessarily a transformative option for law firms and their clients. Google did not spell the end of law firms; AI will be similarly a tool, but not a competitor.
- Productivity and security: a focus on using AI in law firms should probably, at this stage, focus first upon data security, secondly upon productivity benefits, and thirdly, upon client comfort and regulatory evidence buffers.
For us, therefore, we started 23 months ago with transcripts from video conferences, summaries of meetings, task lists, and so on.
In the Autumn of 2025, we have evolved into turning our bullet point thoughts into coherent emails and improving the clarity and simplicity of our existing writing, which is adding productivity.
AI reduces the time required to produce pieces of advice, but it does not generate answers or replace the underlying professional knowledge.
The fundamental lesson for law firms regarding AI: This can make you better, more user-friendly, reduce your stress levels, and help you like a highly efficient junior paralegal.
What it cannot do is deal with the nuance or provide an all-encompassing solution.
Conclusion
AI is already incredible, but using it as just another tool, similar to other software developments and identical to how the platforms shifted, so that your communications with clients, which used to be by post, moved to email, moved to BlackBerry, moved to iPhone, and now will include instant messaging and video conferencing facilities.
As a record-keeping tool, extracting what you are already doing from those services is a great starting point.
Our view is that all solicitors and law firms should explore the benefits for clients and the advantages that AI offers in terms of service. Our obligation as professionals under the SRA Rules includes keeping up to date and remaining competent in the way we deliver services. AI offers a different platform for that. It provides enhanced services and offers precise solutions, but does so more effectively. It is exciting, but it should not ever be daunting.
AI is not the end of lawyers: it is possibly the beginning of the end of inefficiency, though.
Good luck!