Our Founder, Gav Ward, in his role as Director of leading AI-powered marketing for law firms agency MLT Digital, recently presented on a Society of Law Accountants in Scotland (SOLAS) webinar, where over 130 legal professionals, law accountants, lawyers, and support staff, joined to explore one of the most transformative forces in the profession today: Artificial Intelligence for law firms.
Co-presented by Chris Davidson and Gav Ward, chaired by Paul McRobb, the session unpacked how AI is influencing everything from legal ops and compliance to digital marketing, business development, and client expectations.
For those who couldn’t attend, or who want a recap, here are our key takeaways, framed through the lens of helping your law firm adapt and thrive in this fast-moving environment.
1. Don’t Start with AI – Start with Strategy
Before chasing the latest tools or trends, pause and ask: What is our goal?
Too many firms try to “plug in” AI without first clarifying what they’re actually trying to improve, whether that’s speeding up admin, attracting new clients, or delivering more predictable fees. The most successful implementations start with purpose, not tech.
“Don’t retrofit AI into broken processes. Define your objectives first, and let those lead your AI journey.”
2. SEO Is Changing, Fast
As Chris highlighted, digital marketing is evolving faster now than at any time in the past 15 years. With Google’s AI Overviews now stealing top visibility on search results, traditional SEO tactics are losing their edge.
We’re entering the era of AI-powered visibility, where your firm’s content needs to appear in AI summaries and answer engines like ChatGPT, not just rank in organic search. If your firm’s marketing strategy hasn’t changed since 2023, it’s already outdated. See our newer guides to SEO for Law Firms and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) for Law Firms.
3. Generative AI: The Legal Sector’s “iPhone Moment”
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini are now doing things that were unimaginable even three years ago, drafting contracts, summarising emails, adjusting tone of voice, and even building workflows.
But they’re not foolproof. Hallucinations (AI-generated misinformation) are still a risk, especially if the tools are fed poor data or used without legal oversight.
4. Clients Are Getting Smarter, and More Demanding
The Clio Legal Trends Report and Thomson Reuters research are painting a clear picture: AI is influencing how legal services are bought and sold.
- 74% of hourly legal work could be automated with GenAI
- 79% of legal professionals already use AI tools
- 70% of clients say they prefer AI-enabled law firms
Clients now expect speed, transparency, and value. If they believe a machine can draft a document in seconds, they’re going to push back on outdated fee structures.
5. From Hourly Billing to Productised Legal Services
AI is accelerating the shift toward fixed-fee, outcome-focused legal work. Garfield Law, approved by the SRA as the UK’s first AI-driven law firm, now issues debt recovery letters at just £2 a pop.
This isn’t just efficiency. It’s a new way of delivering legal services altogether.
“As time goes on, every lawyer will need to become a legal technologist in some shape or form.”
, Professor Richard Susskind
6. Internal Efficiencies: Where AI Already Works
AI is already driving real value in day-to-day legal operations:
- Diary & document management
- CRM and enquiry handling
- Billing summaries and time tracking
- Lead qualification and email follow-up
- Contract drafting and memo generation
Our own AI-powered receptionist tool, ReceptIO, is helping firms handle inbound enquiries more efficiently, converting interest into instructions without adding headcount.
7. “IA Before AI”: Get Your Data in Shape
Before layering in AI tools, make sure your internal information architecture (IA) is clean, accessible, and well-structured. As Alex Smith from iManage wisely put it:
“AI is only as smart as the data it can access. IA before AI.”
Sloppy data = sloppy outputs. And worse, potential compliance risk.
8. Ethics, Risk and Guardrails
AI isn’t plug-and-play. Law firms need a clear policy covering:
- Staff training and ongoing upskilling
- Client consent and updated privacy terms
- Secure AI environments (not public tools)
- Procedures for fact-checking and avoiding hallucinations
A recent UK case saw a barrister submit five fabricated AI-generated case citations to court. It’s a reminder: oversight matters.
9. AI Is for Everyone, Not Just the Magic Circle
Large firms are experimenting with high-end platforms like Harvey, Haiku and Kira, often supported by in-house tech teams.
But smaller firms are finding quick wins too, using Copilot or ChatGPT for tone of voice, blog content, or first drafts of documents. You don’t need a £100k budget to benefit from AI. You just need purpose, some training, and practical prompts.
10. Try These AI Prompts in Your Firm Today
Here are some safe, useful ways to get started:
- “Write a draft AI policy for a law firm.”
- “Summarise this letter in 3 bullet points.”
- “Make this client email sound more formal.”
- “Generate 3 objections to this legal argument.”
- “Draft a meeting agenda for [X topic].”
- “Analyse this list of client enquiries to find trends.”
Treat AI like a junior colleague, give it context, ask clearly, and always check the work.
The Bottom Line: The AI Revolution Is Just Getting Started
Every week brings a new wave of capability. But remember: AI won’t replace lawyers. Lawyers who use AI effectively will replace those who don’t.
We’re just at the beginning of this transformation. And if you get the strategy, systems, and culture right, your firm will not only keep up, but lead.
Want to Learn More?
If you’d like to explore how your firm could benefit from AI-enhanced marketing, lead qualification, or operational automation, we’d love to hear from you.
Visit MLT Digital’s AI for Law Firms page for more information.
Big thanks again to SOLAS, Paul McRobb, and all who attended the session. And shoutouts to Clio, Thomson Reuters, Alex Hutchinson, Alex Smith, Caroline Hill, and Professor Richard Susskind amongst others for the insights they published that helped with this presentation.
📚 Further Reading
