A recent report from legal industry advisers Baretz+Brunelle highlights a significant challenge facing the largest law firms in the UK and beyond: the difficulty in getting widespread adoption of their own innovations. Despite introducing various innovative tools and processes with a strong belief in their potential, these firms struggle to ensure their deployment across the board.
Key Findings from the Report
The report, titled “If You Build It, Will They Come?”, found that only 21% of initiatives were described as “pervasive” within firms. Conversely, another 19% were used only by individual lawyers driven by specific clients or matters. This underscores a substantial gap between the development and widespread adoption of new technologies and practices.
Innovations ranged from online compliance training tools to tech-enabled document drafting and data analysis. However, many of these initiatives failed to move beyond the innovation teams or committees, with 13% not being adopted at all.
A significant portion of initiatives (19%) were only adopted by individual lawyers for specific clients, while 34% saw some legal teams or practice groups utilizing the new technology or model. Notably, only 12% of innovations were adopted by most practice groups within firms.
The report also highlighted that online compliance training tools, captive alternative legal services providers (ALSPs), and firm-built client-facing technology were among the most mature innovations. In contrast, smart contracts/blockchain and consulting were seen as less mature.
Why Innovation Adoption is Critical
In today’s legal landscape, innovation is not just about staying current; it’s about improving efficiency, delivering better client service, and maintaining competitive advantage. For example, our turnkey procurement model at Taborns streamlines decision-making workflows, enhancing performance and efficiency across firms. This allows legal professionals to focus on complex internal matters and revenue-generating tasks.
Updates on Technological Adoption in the Legal Sector
UK Law Firms: Leading firms like Allen & Overy Shearman and Clifford Chance have embraced AI and machine learning to streamline document review processes and enhance due diligence. Despite this, adoption remains inconsistent across different practice groups (Law.com).
Barristers Chambers: Many barristers chambers, such as 4 New Square and Brick Court Chambers, have integrated online case management systems and digital document storage to improve efficiency. However, there is still a notable lag in widespread adoption among smaller chambers (Chambers Student).
Courts: The UK court system has made strides with the Digital Case System, enabling paperless case management. However, challenges remain, particularly with older infrastructure and resistance from traditional practitioners.
Global Trends: Internationally, firms like Baker McKenzie and DLA Piper are leading the way with proprietary technology platforms that offer clients real-time access to case progress and document analytics. Yet, the global legal sector continues to face hurdles in standardising these technologies.
Moving Forward
For innovations to be more than just buzzwords, law firms need to foster a culture that encourages the use of new tools. This might involve dedicated training sessions, incentivising early adopters, and integrating these technologies into everyday workflows.
At Taborns, we understand the importance of leveraging technology to enhance legal practice. Our solutions are designed to support firms in adopting and integrating new technologies seamlessly, ensuring that innovation translates into tangible benefits for both the firm and its clients.