Law Firms: Super-human Technologies vs Ultra-human Brands

Recently on the BBC’s Today Programme, Tom Quoroll of Linklaters estimated that AI carries out around 60% of the work traditionally undertaken by lawyers.

Recently on the BBC’s Today Programme, Tom Quoroll of Linklaters estimated that AI carries out around 60% of the work traditionally undertaken by lawyers.

Perhaps that’s no surprise? For many years now, firms have invested in stuffing proprietary Large Language Models with their knowledge and case work. As a result, their AI tools can draft and review with astonishing speed and accuracy.

This presents a real challenge. The models are threatening to byte the hands that have fed them, making traditional legal roles seem obsolete and redundant.

But turn that frown upside-down. There’s an opportunity to make the 40% matter. To emphasise the Art, not the Artificial: human judgement, not machine learning.

And that’s why branding matters more than ever. Firms need to stand for, and be known and valued for, the role that experienced, empathetic, creative people play in serving their clients’ interests. As Tom Quoroll referred to it – “the lawyer-in-the-loop”.

With technology threatening to commoditise the profession, only the best branded firms will continue to command premium fees and recruit the next generation of legal talent. These brands will promise and deliver something that algorithms never can: authentic wisdom and care.

When your technology is super-human, your brand must be supra-human.

Written by Simon Case and Alec Rattray

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