General counsel call on law firms to share the benefits of new artificial intelligence technology - Legal Week

Law firms should do more to share the benefits of artificial intelligence technology with their clients, according to a new report revealing what GCs really think about AI. The report, AI: The new wave of legal services, produced by Legal Week Intelligence and Bird & Bird, is based on 15 interviews with senior in-house lawyers, covering subjects including their current and potential use of technology, the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, and how it will shape their expectations of the law firms they instruct. The report reveals that many GCs would like a more proactive stance from law firms in sharing the potential benefits of AI – through testing to implementation and cost savings. KPMG general counsel Jeremy Barton argues that AI should be a catalyst for law firms and GCs to work more closely together: "What is going to change is the nature of collaboration with law firms. We pay law firms too much for doing basic research. "You could easily envisage getting to a stage where the only law firms you really want to deal with, as in-house counsel or general counsel, are those who share a platform with you, or are prepared to use your platform so that your collaboration is supported by technology that is common between you and the law firm." Claire Debney, director of legal strategy at FTSE 100 pharma company Shire, agrees. "Law firms should be more collaborative in their use of technology," she says. "When they look at the client relationship, you have your relationship partner and your regular review.