Vice President of Customer Success Senthil Kumar shares four key takeaways from #TRSYNERGY2025
Highlights
- Successful AI implementation in law firms requires formal programs, workflow redesign, systematic training, and system integration.
- Effective AI adoption hinges on strong governance, strategic workflow redesign, and comprehensive change management for personnel.
- Integrating AI seamlessly into existing systems makes it indispensable, reducing friction and enhancing adoption.
Thomson Reuters’ recent SYNERGY conference brought together dozens of law firms to discuss successful AI implementations, including AI solutions like CoCounsel Legal. The firms that generated measurable returns on their investments followed a consistent pattern. They built formal programs, redesigned their workflows, trained their people systematically, and integrated AI into existing systems rather than treating it as a standalone tool.
The presentations revealed that while technology is essential, what ultimately drives success is how firms organize around AI, how they adapt their processes, and how they support their colleagues through the transition.
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Strategy and governance build the foundation
Redesign workflows for better results
Empowerment through change management
Make AI invisible, yet indispensable
Strategy and governance build the foundation
Law firms that see returns from AI start with structure. They create AI committees that include both partners and associates. This mix brings together business judgment and technical fluency, ensuring policies reflect how people actually work.
These committees develop firm-wide AI policies that answer basic questions: Which tools can lawyers use? What client information can they input? How should they document AI-assisted work? Thriving firms share these policies directly with clients, demonstrating transparency and building trust.
But policy alone doesn’t scale. Firms that move beyond pilot projects invest in dedicated program and project management resources. These specialists coordinate across practice groups, track results, and identify opportunities to expand successful pilots into firm-wide programs.
Redesign workflows for better results
The highest-performing firms have discovered that automating existing workflows delivers modest benefits at best. They achieve better results by asking a different question: What outcome do we want, and how should we get there if we design the process from scratch?
This shift from process thinking to outcome thinking changes everything. Instead of asking “How can AI speed up document review?” firms ask “What does the client need to know, and what’s the fastest path to that answer?” The process that emerges often looks nothing like the original workflow.
Leading practice groups test this approach through A/B tests. They assign similar matters to different teams — one follows the traditional process, the other uses a redesigned workflow that incorporates AI. The firms then examine timekeeping data to quantify time savings and pinpoint specific automation opportunities.
Empowerment through change management
Change management is key to successful AI implementation. Some firms like Ropes & Gray allocate up to 20% of billable hours for first-year associates to learn AI tools. This dedicated time signals that AI fluency matters as much as legal research or writing skills. It also removes the main barrier to adoption: lawyers feel too busy to learn new tools.
Other firms hire certified change management experts to guide their teams through transitions. These specialists understand how to shift behavior, address resistance, and build momentum. They work alongside practice group leaders to embed new workflows into daily routines.
Many firms also identify AI Champions within each practice group. These lawyers act as first-line support, demonstrating how AI solves real problems their colleagues face. Because they practice in the same areas, they understand the specific challenges and can show relevant use cases.
In firm-wide meetings, some firms host “AI Moments,” brief demonstrations that show how a lawyer used AI to solve a specific problem. These sessions help shift perceptions and embed AI into daily operations.
Make AI invisible, yet indispensable
The most effective implementations embed AI into the systems lawyers already use, essentially making it “invisible.” Instead of requiring lawyers to log into a separate AI platform, firms integrate AI capabilities into their document management systems, research databases, and matter management software.
This integration accomplishes two goals. First, it reduces friction, allowing lawyers to access AI where they already work and know which tools are most effective for specific tasks. Second, it makes AI feel like a natural extension of existing tools rather than a separate technology they must remember to use.
What the framework delivers
SYNERGY highlighted that legal AI success isn’t just a matter of technology — it relies on having the right strategy, skilled people, and valuable experience. By keeping these four factors in mind, law firms are seeing real results, offering better value to clients, and preparing their organizations for the future.
Secure your spot at SYNERGY 2026 and take advantage of early bird pricing today.
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