How I think about — AI Workflows
Architect the solution. Don't just visualise it.
AI is rewriting the cost-to-serve curve faster than the billing model is adapting. The interesting question isn't 'which tool' — it's where in the workflow the savings actually accrue, who captures them, and what the client is willing to pay for once the work takes half the time.
Do
Practice- +01
Pilot on the seams between tasks, not inside them
The biggest wins are at the handoffs (associate → partner, firm → client). Single-task tooling is where AI looks impressive and changes nothing.
Source — Thomson Reuters Institute · GenAI in Legal
- +02
Decide who captures the dividend before you deploy
If the firm pockets all the efficiency, the client renegotiates. If the client pockets all of it, the firm under-invests. Name the split at the pricing table.
Source — Clio · Legal Trends Report 2025
- +03
Tell clients what you use
71% of clients are unsure whether their firm uses GenAI. Opaque adoption erodes trust faster than disclosure does.
Source — Thomson Reuters · 2025 Future of Professionals Report
Don't
Patterns- −01
Don't price AI-assisted work at the old hourly rate and hope nobody notices
Clients are running their own benchmarks. The bill is the slowest-moving variable in the relationship right now.
- −02
Don't pilot a tool without a measurement plan
If you can't say what 'better' looks like in dollars or hours, the pilot will be declared a success and changed nothing.
Source — Altman Weil
- −03
Don't outsource judgement to the model
AI is excellent at drafting and synthesis. The lawyering — risk calibration, client read, negotiation posture — is still the deliverable.
§ References
Where this thinking comes from
- Thomson Reuters InstituteFuture of Professionals Report 2025
- ClioLegal Trends Report 2025
- Altman WeilLaw Firms in Transition
Synthesised from publicly available reports and commentary. All views my own.