Building AI Foundations in Legal Practice
A Collaborative Approach to Transformation
As a leading international law firm with a strong commitment to technology and innovation, the client recognised early the potential of AI to transform legal workflows. However, they also understood the complexities involved, from data governance and regulatory compliance to ensuring adoption was embraced by lawyers and business services alike.
The firm partnered with First AI to take a measured, collaborative approach that focused on building strong foundations in data, culture, and process, before scaling AI tools like Microsoft Copilot across the firm. The partnership established a phased, people-centred rollout, combining education, user support, and governance to ensure sustainable, impact-driven adoption.
Together, they focused on building solid foundations, ensuring people felt supported, informed, and confident, before scaling Microsoft Copilot across the wider organisation.
“The firm recognised early that adopting AI isn’t just about technology. It’s about trust, skills, and structure — creating a culture where people feel ready to embrace change.”
— First AI
Rolling Out in Phases
The rollout started with open, firmwide education sessions that helped demystify AI and spark curiosity. Then, the firm moved into a phased deployment — beginning with business services and internal champions who were eager to explore, experiment, and share what they learned.
These early adopters helped shape best practices, refine prompts, and create feedback loops that made later stages of rollout smoother and more confident for everyone else.
Understanding and Supporting Users
AI adoption brought a mix of excitement and skepticism, especially around how Copilot might affect existing roles and workflows. The firm and First AI conducted detailed needs assessments and user interviews to identify practical, role-specific use cases that addressed real pain points and solved everyday challenges.
This approach helped turn hesitation into enthusiasm as people started to see how AI could genuinely save them time and make their work easier.
“The phased approach helped our teams see AI’s practical value early on, reducing apprehension and encouraging experimentation.”
— Head of Legal Tech & Innovation, Client
Transforming Everyday Work
Efficiency gains were immediate in everyday tasks. Early adopters used Copilot to draft routine correspondence, summarise documents, and streamline time entries, freeing them up for higher-value work.
Some of the biggest wins came from:
- Recapping meetings and extracting action items and key information from meeting transcripts
- Time entry automation: Custom Copilot prompts enabled faster and more accurate billing, addressing a significant operational challenge
- Using Copilot to quickly locate precedents and templates, saving valuable research time
- Case law research: Cutting research time for multi-jurisdiction cases
- Drafting and checking contract clauses for consistency and compliance
“The tailored prompts we co-developed made Copilot a natural part of how we work, not a separate tool to learn.”
— AI Engineer - First AI
Creating a Learning Culture
Within weeks of the initial rollout, usage steadily increased. The firm hosted regular drop-in clinics and collaborative workshops where professionals brought real cases, shared tips, and learned new features together.
These sessions built confidence and encouraged collaboration, helping teams discover new ways AI could support them day-to-day.
“Our drop-in clinics created a learning culture, people felt supported and confident to try AI on real work.”
— AI Engineer - First AI
Overcoming Challenges
Like many organisations, the firm had to balance the demands of busy schedules with learning something new. Other hurdles included differing levels of AI familiarity and keeping pace with Copilot updates.
These were overcome through:
- Visible leadership support
- Clear communication of AI’s value
- Role-based learning and tailored support
- Ongoing engagement through clinics and feedback sessions
“Leadership backing ensured AI adoption was prioritised and valued, helping us overcome early hurdles.”
— Enterprise Architect, Client
Results and Impact
The programme delivered clear, measurable results across culture, adoption, and productivity:
575 users trained across legal and business teams
437% increase in Copilot adoption during rollout
13 hours per week saved on average by AI champions
55 use cases identified across legal and operational areas
305 custom prompts created for consistent Copilot use
8.7/10 feedback score from participants
Confidence and skill levels doubled across users
“The partnership felt truly collaborative - together we shaped ways of working that helped teams uncover real, day-to-day value from AI.”
— AI Adoption Manager, First AI
Looking Ahead
Copilot is now an established part of daily life at the firm, and adoption continues to grow. The next step is to build on this success - developing bespoke AI tools tailored to legal workflows and strengthening data governance for the future.
“Our AI journey is ongoing, but we’re confident that building solid foundations first has set us up for sustainable success.”
— Head of Legal Tech & Innovation, Client