How Law Firms Are Already
Using Generative AI
Real-world data points and replicable workflows
Snapshot Metrics
A&O Shearman
(UK)3,500 lawyers tested Harvey and submitted 40,000+ questions in just a few months1
Gowling WLG
(Canada)First Canadian firm to roll out Harvey firm-wide (July 2025)2
Dentons
(Global)"fleetAI" secure GPT-4 chatbot analyses client documents "at speed and in a secure manner" with data erased after 30 days3
Mini Case Compendium
Gowling WLGCanada
Identified hundreds of high-impact use cases during evaluation; sees Harvey as a "cultural shift" that accelerates due-diligence, research and client reporting2
DentonsGlobal
Built fleetAI on Azure OpenAI; lawyers upload multi-document bundles and extract clauses/obligations securely—key benefit is client-data isolation3
A&O ShearmanUK
Harvey answers tens of thousands of multilingual questions, supporting diverse practice areas and proving everyday adoption at scale1
LinklatersUK
Runs internal chatbot "Laila" plus Microsoft 365 Copilot; programme pairs secure tech with firm-wide prompt-engineering training4
Five High-Impact Workflows
Client-intake triage
Automates summaries & sets up matters without manual data entry5
First-draft generation
Drafting time cut 80% (5h → 45min)6
Document / transcript summarisation
Review cycles shortened; faster litigation prep7
Knowledge-base Q&A (RAG)
Instant retrieval of precedent clauses and memos3
Clause comparison & redlining
Up to 75% faster contract analysis8
Low-Code Automation Blueprint9
Zapier recipe (live in many firms):
Solo practitioner Sam Mollaei runs 220,000+ automated tasks per month across six firms using this approach.
How Leading Firms Stay Safe
Using Enterprise-Grade Tools
Security starts with using the right tools. Leading firms are adopting enterprise-grade AI subscriptions (like ChatGPT Team) which, unlike free public versions, come with crucial commitments that your firm's data will not be used for public model training.
Implementing "No Secrets" Policies
The most important safeguard is a human one. As seen at global firms like Allen & Overy, a core principle is a strict "no secrets" rule: teams are trained to never input sensitive or client-confidential information into any external AI tool without explicit client consent.
Verifying Accuracy
The non-negotiable rule adopted by top firms is to trust, but verify everything. All AI-generated outputs are treated as a first draft from a junior associate—a useful starting point that always requires expert human review and validation before it is used.
Putting These Workflows Into Practice
The 90-Day Transformation Program
Comprehensive • Best Value
Our signature end-to-end service to build a permanent, self-sustaining AI capability within your firm.
Complete transformation journey
Focused 30-Day Sprints
Targeted • Quick Start
Need to solve a specific problem now? Engage our Foundation, Automation, or Advisory sprints individually.
Foundation Sprint
Team training & safe AI framework
Automation Sprint
Custom workflow development
Advisory Sprint
Strategy & governance setup
Sources
- 1. A&O Shearman; (2023, February 15); A&O announces exclusive launch partnership with Harvey.
- 2. Gowling WLG; (2025, July 11); Innovation in action: Gowling WLG becomes first Canadian law firm to roll out Harvey AI enterprise-wide.
- 3. Dentons; (2023, August 1); Dentons to launch client secure version of ChatGPT: "fleetAI" developed with Microsoft and in consultation with clients.
- 4. Linklaters; Our approach to Generative AI.
- 5. Clio; 11 Ways to Automate Your Law Firm with Zapier.
- 6. Reddit; I'm a lawyer, AI has changed my legal practice; r/ArtificialIntelligence.
- 7. Rankings.io; Claude for Lawyers: Best Use Cases, Prompts & How to Use.
- 8. Newsweek; Lawyers Say AI Is Reshaping How—and Why—They Work Beyond.
- 9. YouTube; 5 Automations That Run My $10M+ Law Firms.