31 Asian Legal Business | January-February 2025 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 transformative 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 on 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 oncein-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 Roundtable 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. Our measured approach, including targeted pilots, has positioned us to scale with confidence. This year, we’re expanding into firmwide, and lawyercentric 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 shortlived 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 “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 knowledgebased endeavours.” — Christopher Cyrus, McDermott Will & Emery
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