Is your law firm even ready for AI readiness?

Since generative AI burst into the public realm in November 2022, its astonishing evolution has dominated conversations around technological advancement. The question that has challenged law firms remains: What can this technology actually do for us?

Unlike earlier, narrower AI applications that enabled isolated tasks such as document extraction, legal analytics, and e-discovery, generative AI introduced a novel approach that relies on natural human language rather than structured inputs or rigid task definitions. 

Generative AI has prompted firms to rethink the fundamentals

By early 2024, nearly one-third of law firms in the US had begun using generative AI. Among firms of 100+ lawyers, that figure stood at 46 percent. In the short time since then, AI-enhanced legal work has progressed from enabling more efficient task completion to redesigning entire workflows. Lawyers can spend less time on time-consuming tasks like information retrieval or document formatting, and more time applying legal judgment and advising clients in person. 

By helping legal professionals absorb complex information faster, drawing insights from past cases and internal knowledge bases, AI is on its way to becoming a cognitive partner. Its users can make informed decisions more quickly under pressure. 

Powerful though these benefits are, legal teams must also consider how AI can be slotted into workflows to add real value — without overlooking any potential risks. 

From safe testing to strategy

Early AI adoption efforts focused on hands-on exploration of generative AI capabilities and limitations. Many firms created safe testing environments for lawyers to familiarize themselves with the tools without fear of breaching client confidentiality or regulatory compliance. 

Some firms leaned into this experimentation, recognizing that early exposure would create a stronger foundation for more considered adoption. Others took a more cautious approach, wary of reputational risks and security gaps. Of the rest, many froze at the sheer volume of  AI options on the market, overwhelmed by uncertainty.

Over the past 12 months, things have changed. The AI readiness gap is closing. Law firms are moving from curiosity to commitment, no longer asking, “Should we be using this?” and instead asking, “How do we make this work for us?”

Workflow integration shifts everything

Rather than relying on standalone AI platforms, leading firms are embracing tools that integrate AI directly into the environments where lawyers already operate. Providers like iManage, Microsoft, and others are embedding legal-grade AI capabilities into core document and knowledge management platforms where contracts are created, reviewed, revised, and governed, for maximum practical value.

Switching from isolated platforms to integrated tools dramatically increases adoption, as lawyers don’t need to learn a new interface or toggle between systems. When AI becomes a natural part of the existing workflow, firms can move and scale with confidence. Lawyers are more likely to use tools like Ask iManage, for example, that deliver generative AI-powered answers based on trusted firm content directly within the familiar document management system (DMS). 

Embedding AI reduces cognitive friction, preserves the chain of custody over sensitive data, and respects lawyers’ time. It also aligns with one of the golden rules of legal technology adoption: If it doesn’t fit how lawyers work, they won’t use it.

Responsible experimentation pays off

Much has been made of the high-profile cases where generative AI was misused in legal settings. But the very fact that these examples are so rare is telling. It shows that most firms have been cautious and responsible in their approach. Many have quietly built internal frameworks for AI governance, with review processes, red lines, audit trails, and policies for supervised use all baked in.

These internal governance frameworks weren’t designed to eradicate all risk because that’s an impossible goal. Instead, they were intended to mitigate foreseeable risk and facilitate faster learning that can be applied at scale.

Firms are investing in training programs to educate their lawyers about what generative AI can and cannot do. They're also forming interdisciplinary teams to evaluate tools based on how well they align with firm strategy and user needs. Meanwhile, they’re asking harder questions about data quality, provenance, and explainability.

The competitive divide is widening

Generative AI capabilities are increasingly embedded into everyday tools and tasks. As firms move from passive experimentation to structured implementation, their confidence and competitive edge grow sharper.

Productivity gains are only one piece of the puzzle. The deeper impact lies in improving the quality of work, speeding up knowledge retrieval, enhancing service responsiveness, and freeing professionals to focus on higher-value activities.

According to the 2024 Thomson Reuters Future of Professionals Report, AI can free up around four hours per lawyer per week. In the US, that translates to 260 million hours a year; in the UK, it’s over 40 million. When a monetary figure is applied to each of these hours, abundant reinvestment opportunities are opened.

AI readiness isn’t about being first

It’s easy to get caught up in the race to innovate. But in the legal profession, being a first mover may not offer much of an advantage, because the winners are those who implement AI best, not first. That means taking AI out of the abstract and into the real world of legal practice. It means choosing tools that align with how lawyers think and work, embedding them where they create the most value, and supporting them with clear narratives and guardrails around usage.

Ask iManage legal assistant is built with these principles in mind. Embedded directly into user workflows, it combines secure generative AI with trusted firm content, surfacing insights instantly. For firms that are serious about turning AI readiness into real-world advantage, it’s time to stop testing and start executing.

Ready to get started? Reach out today and discover how Ask iManage helps legal teams work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence.