Top law firms across the UK are stepping up efforts to showcase their use of artificial intelligence, with leading players competing to set the pace in legal tech transformation.

Fresh research from Thomson Reuters reveals that 78% of the UK’s top 40 law firms now highlight their use of AI—a sharp rise from 60% last year. The largest firms are also bolstering their leadership with AI-focused roles. Within the top 20 firms, those with a head of AI grew from 35% to 45% in the past year. Alongside this, more than three-quarters now have dedicated in-house AI teams driving adoption, compared with 60% the year before. By contrast, only 35% of the next tier of firms have established their own AI departments. Despite this growth, structured strategies remain limited. Just 24% of UK firms have a formal AI adoption strategy, while 43% are rolling out AI without one.

Raghu Ramanathan, president of legal professionals at Thomson Reuters, observed: “An increasing number of law firm customers recognise AI’s potential to enhance both productivity and client service. We expect that organisations will increasingly pick their panel law firms based on the firm’s strengths in delivering AI-powered legal services. The UK’s very largest law firms are responding to this pressure to adopt and integrate AI tools – but the next tier of law firms appears to be adapting more slowly. This is creating a perceived gap in AI-expertise that slightly smaller firms will want to close.”

Training is another area where top firms are pulling ahead. The study found that 55% of the top 20 now offer AI training for staff, up from 20% last year. Among firms ranked 21–40, the number is far lower at just 10%.

As Ramanathan added: “Top law firms recognise that it’s not just a question of adopting this technology but also ensuring training programmes are in place to use it effectively and responsibly. And while clients increasingly demand their law firms use GenAI tools to increase productivity, they still expect these firms to use top-shelf professional-grade AI.”

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Source: John Hyde, Law Gazette