As Generative AI becomes an unstoppable force in legal practice, law firms are moving beyond the question of “if” to “how.” But instead of chasing trends, AI directors at law firms are taking a deliberate approach to this transformative technology.

• Law firms prioritize sustainable value over trendy AI solutions.
• Security and ethical considerations drive AI implementation decisions.
• AI enhances lawyer productivity while maintaining human expertise control.

ALB: In your role, what strategic criteria have you established to evaluate and prioritize potential AI tools for integration into your firm’s practices?

Christopher Cyrus, director of AI innovation, McDermott Will & Emery: We see AI as a set of force multipliers for all of our professionals. And we are focused on harnessing the best capabilities of frontier models. Used appropriately, these technologies yield tangible benefits for clients—reduced turnaround time, more strategic insights, and unique capabilities that elevate the legal product. These are all non-negotiable as are guarantees that our firm and client data will remain secure.

David Cunningham, chief innovation officer, Reed Smith: Our firm is a global law firm with a broad mix of practice groups including vibrant litigation, transactional and advisory groups that serve clients in a broad array of industries. We look for tools that can have broad impact across the firm, whether in connection with the practice of law or how we run our business. That means we are attracted to tools that address use cases that cut across large groups of lawyers or business professionals as opposed to narrowly focused tools. With respect to the practice, we begin with larger platforms aimed to support all our lawyers and then move to tools broadly aimed at meeting the common needs of litigators on the one hand or transaction lawyers on the other. We take a similar approach with respect to the tools to support our business operations.

Jeff Westcott, director, practice technology & AI innovation, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: We evaluate AI tools with one overriding principle: lasting, measurable value. In a crowded market of bold promises and fleeting trends, we focus on tools and platforms that deliver meaningful, sustainable impact.

Our evaluation is guided by five strategic criteria that shape our decision-making process. First, we prioritize value, ensuring tools deliver tangible results—whether by enhancing efficiency, sharpening insights or elevating outcomes. At Akin, marginal improvements don’t make the cut. Second, we emphasize sustainability and scalability, prioritizing solutions built to grow with our firm and adapt to the evolving needs of our clients and the legal industry. We maintain a disciplined approach

to cutting through the hype, rigorously assessing tools to separate genuine innovation from unproven ideas, ensuring our choices are grounded in what works, not just what’s trendy. Security remains at the core of our evaluation process, with every tool vetted for compliance with stringent data protection and privacy standards, reflecting our unwavering commitment to safeguarding client and firm information.

Finally, we value partnership over transaction, recognizing that many AI vendors are navigating new ground. We treat them as partners, collaborating to refine solutions that align with the needs of a global law firm.

We’re not chasing trends. Our approach ensures AI becomes a trans-formative tool, enhancing every facet of how we serve our clients—securely, strategically, and sustainably.

ALB: A recent survey by Citi suggested that law firms’ investment in Gen AI-related technology and consulting remains modest. How are you planning to scale this investment over the next five years, and develop metrics to measure the return on investment for AI-related expenditures?

Cyrus: Although industry-wide spending on GenAI may be limited at the moment, that is neither the case across industries nor in corporations writ large. We agree with many experts that this technology represents a once-in-a-generation breakthrough, akin to steam or electricity, capable of enabling new arts and sciences if thoughtfully deployed. Over the next five years, we intend to incrementally scale our AI investments by focusing on deliberate proof-of-concept projects that free up our lawyers from lower-value tasks, channelling their attention toward more strategic, high-value counsel. 

Cunningham: It’s helpful to recognize that firms generally underspend on IT but were still able to rise from spending zero on AI two years ago to the millions that firms spend today. But “AI spend” will quickly be uncalculatable because AI will, in most cases, simply be built into the software we already buy. But we appreciate the general point – investments in tech (AI, software, data, expert staff) are increasing rapidly for progressive firms, so how should they be justified? We see this as forcing maturity in the business models of law firms – whereby this spending is considered strategic investment rather than simply expenses to be minimized. An aspect we keep in mind is “reducing the cost of goods sold” like a product business. If our investments help to streamline the provision of a service, then the more investment the better – if we also think strategically about value and pricing. 

Westcott: Scaling Generative AI investment is not about spending more – it’s about spending smarter. Meaningful investment requires time, talent and careful planning to build a strong foundation for AI integration.

Our focused approach begins with comprehensive evaluation, where we’ve dedicated significant resources to assess tools and platforms, ensuring they align with our strategic objectives and client needs. We prioritize governance and policy development, establishing rigorous frameworks for ethical AI use, data security, and compliance. Additionally, our extensive training programs ensure our lawyers are equipped to adopt AI effectively and seamlessly.

“Investments in tech (AI, software, data, expert staff) are increasing rapidly for progressive firms, so how should they be justified? We see this as forcing maturity in the business models of law firms – whereby this spending is considered strategic investment rather than simply expenses to be minimized.” — David Cunningham, Reed Smith

 

Our measured approach, including targeted pilots, has positioned us to scale with confidence. This year, we’re expanding into firmwide, and lawyer-centric tools designed to deliver substantial impact. In a fast-moving market, patience is key. We’ve resisted premature commitments, instead focusing on lasting value over short-lived trends.

We carefully track success through multiple metrics. First, we measure operational efficiency by reducing time spent on routine tasks. Second, we monitor enhanced client outcomes by delivering better results through improved quality and accuracy. Third, we assess adoption rates to ensure tools meet the practical needs of our teams and are fully utilized. This deliberate strategy ensures every investment advances our mission of delivering smarter, more efficient legal services.

ALB: As AI tools become more prevalent, how are you planning to allocate resources between developing in-house AI solutions and acquiring third-party tools?

Cyrus: Given that frontier models demand exceptional infrastructure, capital, and expertise, we’ve developed an in-house capability to orchestrate sophisticated dataflows and API-sequence pairings that allow us to unlock powerful functionalities. When the market doesn’t supply a solution to a problem, we have the ability to buildout practice-specific tools that can deliver immediate ROI - this market cognizance and technical capability enables us to avoid duplication of effort and maintain flexibility to continuously evaluate which approach (build vs. buy) will yield the highest benefit.

Richard Robbins, director of applied AI, Reed Smith: Our preference is to license third-party tools that meet our needs at reasonable prices. We embrace rapidly evolving technology and are eager to work with vendors to influence their offerings and are willing to be an early adopter, especially when we believe that doing so will place us at a competitive advantage. We are willing to develop in-house solutions when that makes sense considering our strategic points of emphasis at the time relative to market offerings.

Westcott: Our resources are strategically divided to ensure we maximize the value of AI while maintaining flexibility and scalability. Our approach focuses on three key areas that drive our AI implementation strategy.

The first area involves finding and buying the best tools, where the majority of our energy is spent identifying and evaluating market-leading AI tools that meet our rigorous standards. We look for solutions that align with our security requirements, demonstrate clear value, and have a trusted development roadmap for the future.

When it comes to customizing around core systems, we rely on established platforms like Microsoft, Intapp, and NetDocuments where tools need to integrate with our existing infrastructure. These platforms provide a strong foundation for us to develop internal applications that seamlessly connect with our workflows. For example, we’ve used Azure AI to create chatbots that deliver quick and secure access to internal resources like our employee handbook.

For areas where we have unique expertise and data, we invest in building proprietary solutions that deliver standout value for clients. Akin Over-ruled is a prime example: By combining our deep industry knowledge with AI models, we’ve created a tool that provides actionable insights into sanctions to predict penalty amounts. Building tools like this requires significant investment—not only in development but in ongoing support and refinement—so we focus on areas where we can create measurable and lasting client impact.

This structured approach ensures that we buy the best tools available, tailor solutions to leverage our systems, and build where we can truly innovate. By directing resources where they’ll have the greatest impact, we deliver cutting-edge technology solutions that enhance internal efficiency and client outcomes alike.

ALB: Which practice areas within your firm do you believe will see the most significant transformation through the adoption of generative AI tools? And how is your firm positioning itself to lead in these areas?

Cyrus: Generative AI stands to transform legal work wall-to-wall—from large-scale document reviews to real-time assistance with on-your-feet, mission-critical tasks. We’re empowering all of our lawyers and staff professionals by giving them direct access to and training on state-of-the-art models and systems, fostering an internal culture that rewards practical know-how with these tools. Rather than confine AI to a handful of specialists, we’re encouraging each practice group to champion success stories, share workflows, and where appropriate, co-develop proprietary enhancements. By embedding our most advanced technologies into daily practice, our lawyers will remain at the leading edge of what professionals in our industry can do.

Robbins: We have not determined that any specific practice area within our firm will experience a more significant transformation through the adoption of generative AI tools compared to others. Generative AI has the potential to impact numerous tasks across all practices. For instance, the ability of AI to efficiently summarize extensive amounts of text will be beneficial for all areas.

Similarly, AI’s capability to analyze and examine large collections of documents to provide attorneys with insights into relevant items will be valuable across individual practices. Our objective is to enable everyone in our firm, including our professional staff, to utilize generative AI tools effectively and responsibly. To achieve this, we must select the appropriate tools and promote their effective use throughout the firm.

Westcott: Generative AI is fundamentally transforming how legal work is delivered, especially by streamlining the administrative tasks that support high-value advisory work. At Akin, we see its potential in all practice areas, as demonstrated by the long list of potential innovative use cases identified by our lawyers.

In corporate transactions, AI is revolutionising processes like due diligence and automating administrative tasks – drafting, organizing, and analysing documents – so lawyers can focus on providing strategic advice to clients. The technology enables our teams to handle complex matters with greater efficiency. Within litigation and dispute resolution, AI-driven tools sharpen case strategies, automate document review, and provide data-driven insights, helping lawyers prepare and execute more effectively. Across all practices, our focus is to ensure lawyers spend their time on higher-value work by augmenting their skills with AI, not replacing them.

We focus on impact, not hype - deploying AI where it enhances efficiency, empowers our teams, and drives better outcomes. Through client collaboration, smart tool selection, and ongoing training, we’re ensuring AI is a force multiplier for both quality and value.

ALB: How are you addressing ethical use considerations, data security and privacy concerns, and the potential impact on billable hours as you lead the integration of AI tools into your firm’s operations?

Cyrus: We start from the conviction that client service is paramount. Ethical use, data security, and privacy safeguards are at the centre of our AI strategy as a firm. We treat AI outputs as informed suggestions, not immutable answers, so our lawyers remain critical to the process and are ultimately responsible for every piece of client-facing work. We also pay meticulous attention to the security of dataflows and ensure that no vendor can “model train” on our data. And although generative AI can automate or accelerate tasks that once consumed lawyers’ billable hours, we foresee no shortage of higher-value work; if anything, quite the opposite. Our view is that current breakthroughs in AI will increase throughput in all knowledge-based endeavours. And by thoughtfully incorporating the most capable of those models and systems, as well as instilling thorough oversight, we will ensure that advanced AI amplifies our core mission of client-centred legal excellence.

Robbins: We promote ethical use of generative AI through our training programs. We address data security and privacy concerns by reviewing AI tools before introduction and enforcing relevant policies. Training on these policies is required for attorneys to use AI tools, and we uphold these standards in all other AI-related training. We believe that an undue focus on the billable hour impact of the use of AI tools (or any other tool that promotes efficiency) is short-sighted. We expect that attorneys and law firms that make effective use of generative AI will be at a competitive advantage relative to those that do not. We believe that this class of technology will be an important component in delivering the highest value to our clients, which is our ultimate goal.

“Although generative AI can automate or accelerate tasks that once consumed lawyers’ billable hours, we foresee no shortage of higher-value work; if anything, quite the opposite. Our view is that current breakthroughs in AI will increase throughput in all knowledge-based endeavours.” — Christopher Cyrus, McDermott Will & Emery

 

Westcott: We’ve cultivated a close partnership between our lawyers and technology professionals - data scientists, engineers, and developers - ensuring our AI tools are scalable, secure, and responsive to the needs of both clients and firm. This collaboration allows us to draw on insights from our AI practice, where our lawyers work at the cutting edge of regulation, privacy, trade, and policy, to guide how we implement AI technologies internally.

“AI is a tool to enhance value, not reduce it to speed alone. By automating administrative tasks, we enable lawyers to focus on high-value advisory work and solving complex challenges. This ensures that efficiency gains directly benefit clients while delivering smarter, faster, and more impactful solutions.” — Jeff Westcott, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld

Our AI Governance Principles ensure responsible and secure AI integration through three key commitments. First, ethical use means AI supports, not replaces, our lawyers’ expertise, with human oversight safeguarding quality. Second, we maintain strict data security and privacy standards, with every tool undergoing rigorous vetting at Akin to protect sensitive information and meet compliance standards. Third, we maintain transparency by ensuring our clients are informed about when and how AI is used to enhance outcomes. AI is a tool to enhance value, not reduce it to speed alone. By automating administrative tasks, we enable lawyers to focus on high-value advisory work and solving complex challenges. This ensures that efficiency gains directly benefit clients while delivering smarter, faster, and more impactful solutions. AI is about working better - with precision and purpose - so every moment spent serves our clients’ best interests.