It’s safe to say that genAI has become an established part of legal operations, but its economics remain far from settled. Years of experimentation have yielded numerous use cases for both the business and practice of law, yet genAI’s ROI remains stubbornly difficult to pin down. However, as profitability pressures intensify, clients demand more bang for their buck, and vendors begin shifting to consumer-based pricing, firms are forced to think more critically about where genAI is truly adding value, and how much.

So how are firms rethinking their genAI investment and deployment strategies in the face of these intensifying economic pressures? Could tokenisation be a force for good offering greater visibility of the costs of genAI, or could it put a slew of use cases on the chopping block and put the brakes on experimentation? How is genAI reshaping the dynamic between law firm and GCs, and are lawyers equipped for tougher client conversations about AI and pricing? These are just a few of the burning questions we set out to answer in this special edition of Briefing — with several technology and innovation leaders from Anthony Collins, Blake Morgan, Kingsley Napley, Shoosmiths and Weightmans weighing in on what the shift from experimentation to economic reality means for the next phase of genAI investment.

We also bring you a broad canvas of legal business perspectives from industry experts from Aderant, DXC, Elite, Harvey, iManage, Kocho, LEAP Enterprise, Litera, sa.global, Stridon, and Thomson Reuters, encompassing valuable insights on how firms can maximise the value they get from their genAI tools and technology systems, and build the right foundation for the next wave of innovation and transformation.

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What’s inside:

• The genAI reality check: Senior innovation, AI and technology leaders tell Briefing editor Andreea Dulgheru how they are capturing genAI’s value as tokenisation, profitability pressures and client demands force a a harder look at what genAI is really worth.
• Joe Cohen, legal innovation partner at Harvey, explains why profitability should be the key metric AI’s value.
• Elisabet Hardy, chief product officer at Elite, outlines why meaningful returns from AI require integration between data and processes.
• Michael Robertson, partner at Dickson Minto, details why the firm selected Litera’s AI solution Lito and what the tool brings for client value.
• Sam Dixon, chief innovation officer at Womble Bond Dickinson, shares the firm’s experience as the first external UK tester of latest iteration of Thomson Reuters CoCounsel Legal.
• James Dudden, head of product at LEAP Enterprise, explains why seamless integration and knowledge sharing are essential for AI adoption.
• Rachel Coleman, senior legal industry specialist (EMEA) at iManage, highlights the essentials for moving from experimenting with AI to truly operationalising it.
• Lisa Erickson, SVP of product management and AI at Aderant, discusses how AI is impacting the billable hour.
• Matthew Stringer, founder and CEO at Stridon, outlines why law firms must rethink security and value capture in order to prepare for agentic AI.
• Howard Blackith, senior transformation partner at sa.global, discusses the pathway to safely increase AI agents’ autonomy.
•  Guy Long, principal transformation officer at DXC, explains why redesigning the operating model unlocks better AI outcomes.
• Hannah Birch, CEO at Kocho, highlights measures to protect client confidentiality as agents develop autonomous capabilities.

The genAI reality check

AI has gone from novelty to necessity. But as tokenisation, profitability pressures and client demands reshape the market, firms are taking a harder look at what genAI is really worth. Briefing editor Andreea Dulgheru explores how firms are rethinking the value, deployment and economics of genAI — with insight from leaders at Anthony Collins, Blake Morgan, Kingsley Napley, Shoosmiths and Weightmans. Read about:

• How varying levels of genAI maturity across the legal sector are widening a competitive gap
• How AI strategies are changing and why capturing ROI remains a challenge
• The pros and cons of consumption-based pricing
• How firms should approach deploying genAI — and why genAI literacy among lawyers is now vital.