We were delighted to have the opportunity to present on last month’s Society of Law Accountants in Scotland (SOLAS) webinar, where our Directors, Chris Davidson and Gav Ward explored a fast-moving topic that’s reshaping the legal landscape: AI for law firms.
With over 130 law accountants, lawyers, and legal professionals in attendance, the session, chaired by Paul McRobb, focused on the practical applications, opportunities, and key risks of AI in legal practice.
From enhancing client engagement and streamlining operations to navigating the shifting terrain of legal marketing and regulatory compliance, the conversation was wide-ranging, offering many actionable insights for lawyers, law accountants, and law firm owners.
Given that our readers can benefit from these insights, we have included some of our key takeaways in this blog post.
If you’d like to discuss how we can help your firm succeed through AI-enhanced legal marketing, please don’t hesitate to contact our team.
Start with your "why"
Before diving into the tools and trends, we made one thing clear: Don’t start with the AI; start with your objectives.
“Start with your why. Start with what you're trying to do, rather than try just to fit the AI into your processes.”
This principle underpinned the entire session. Whether you’re looking to improve efficiency, grow new business, or deliver a better client experience, your firm’s goals must drive how you approach AI; not the other way around.
The changing face of legal marketing
One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is in digital marketing. As Chris Davidson highlighted:
“AI has dramatically changed digital marketing in the last 18 months.”
From ChatGPT to Copilot, generative AI is reshaping how firms show up online. Since mid-2024, we’ve seen AI overviews dominate search engine result pages, pushing traditional organic listings further down the page. This means old-school SEO is no longer enough.
The new frontier? Appearing in AI summaries and results, what we call AI-powered SEO or Generative Engine Optimisation. And with legal marketing poised to change more in the next 18 months than it has in the last 15 years, it’s time to rethink how your firm is found online.
Understanding generative AI
AI is nothing new; Alan Turing laid the groundwork 70 years ago, but generative AI has made it accessible and powerful.
"Think of the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 as a legal tech “iPhone moment.”
Tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google’s Gemini can now draft documents, summarise cases, and even change the tone of an email. But while they’re powerful, they’re not perfect. AI can hallucinate, generating plausible but false information, so human oversight is still essential.
Legal clients are changing
Today’s legal clients are more digitally savvy, informed, and cost-conscious. If a client believes AI can generate a contract in seconds, they’re more likely to challenge high hourly rates.
Clio’s Legal Trends Report paints a compelling picture:
- 74% of hourly legal work could be automated with GenAI
- 79% of legal professionals already use AI tools like Copilot
- Up to 70% of clients prefer law firms that embrace AI
These changes point to a clear direction: fixed-fee billing, client outcomes over process, and productised legal services are the future.
AI is already transforming legal work
"As time goes on, every lawyer will need to be a legal technologist of some sort.” – Professor Richard Susskind OBE KC (Hon)
In his recent Strathclyde University lecture, Professor Susskind emphasised that AI won’t just enhance legal work; it will transform it. A standout example is Garfield Law, the UK’s first AI-powered law firm, which offers debt recovery letters for just £2 per letter. This is the direction things are moving in: faster, cheaper, outcome-driven legal solutions.
Practical AI in legal ops
From automated diary management to client-friendly bill summaries and time-tracking, AI can already deliver internal efficiencies for law firms.
The most common and valuable use cases we’re seeing include:
Document review
Contract and memo drafting
Legal research and summarisation
CRM and case management integration
Marketing and business development
Even AI-powered lead qualification tools, like our own ReceptIO; are helping firms stay on top of enquiries and win more clients without adding headcount.
"IA before AI" - get your data right first
A key takeaway from Alex Smith of iManage:
“IA before AI” – that’s Information Architecture before Artificial Intelligence."
Put simply, AI is only as good as the data it has access to. If your firm’s data is messy, outdated or siloed, your AI tools won’t perform well and could introduce serious risk. Establishing your information architecture is a crucial step.
Implementation, risk & ethics
AI implementation isn’t just about plug-and-play. It needs:
A clear AI strategy and policy
Consideration of client consent (check your privacy policy and T&Cs)
Ongoing staff training and engagement
Secure and private AI environments; never upload sensitive data to public AI tools
Risks include hallucinations, data breaches, and misuse of confidential information. One barrister recently got into serious trouble for submitting five AI-generated fake cases to the courts. Let that be a cautionary tale.
Smaller vs larger firms: different paths
While larger firms are running pilots with tools like Kira, Harvey, and Haiku (often with in-house tech teams), smaller firms are gaining traction by using ChatGPT and Copilot for tone of voice, marketing, and quick document drafts.
The beauty of AI is its accessibility. You don’t need a massive budget to start benefiting; just a clear purpose, some good training, and the right guardrails in place.
Where to start?
Some practical points
Want to get started with AI in your firm today? Try these practical prompts:
“Draft an AI policy for a small law firm.”
“Summarise this 5-page letter into 3 bullet points.”
“Make this client email sound more formal.”
“Generate 3 counter-arguments to this position.”
“Prepare a meeting agenda on X.”
“Analyse this spreadsheet of rejected leads to find trends.”
The more precise your instructions, the better the results.
The AI journey is just beginning
AI is evolving weekly; what we’re seeing today is the worst it will ever be. The key for law firms? Stay informed, start small, and focus on real value. Whether it’s saving time, improving client experience, or winning new work, AI can be a powerful enabler, but only if deployed wisely.
Helping your law firm succeed with AI-enhanced legal marketing
If you’d like to discuss how your law firm can make the most of AI, whether through AI-based lead qualification with our ReceptIO AI-powered receptionist, digital marketing, or operational efficiencies, get in touch. We’re here to help.
P.S. Many thanks again to SOLAS, Paul McRobb, and all the attendees who joined us. And thanks also to Thomson Reuters, Legal IT Insider, Clio, Alex Hutchinson and others for the insights and stats that we shared during the presentation. Full list of resources for further reading available here:-
▶️ Snippet from the webinar
📚 Further Reading
Gavin Ward
As MLT’s Projects Director, I help establish and maintain best-in-class project delivery, client service and performance standards.
