Effective and Responsible Use @ Scale Aligned to Firm Strategy

Artificial intelligence has entered the legal profession with a speed that few predicted. For decades, law firms were known for their slow embrace of technology, often trailing industries such as finance or healthcare. In less than three years, however, AI has shifted from pilot projects to enterprise-wide adoption, compressing what might have been a decade of gradual change into a matter of months.

Richard Robbins, Director of Applied AI at Reed Smith, has lived at the crossroads of law and technology for more than forty years. With degrees from MIT, the University of Chicago, and Berkeley, and experience as a partner, general counsel, and now technology strategist, he offers a rare perspective on why this moment feels different and what law firms must do to turn enthusiasm into sustained competitive advantage.

The Scale of the Shift

Richard compares today's generative AI moment to the arrival of browsers and document management systems in the 1990s. Those innovations changed how lawyers accessed and shared knowledge. What feels different now is the pace. The industry moved from debating strategy in 2023 to heavy investment in 2024 to the present reality of driving adoption and proving value.

The reason is clear. Law is a business of language, and AI manipulates language at scale. For the first time, lawyers encountered a technology that spoke directly to their craft. That alignment created unprecedented momentum across firms of every size.

"Law is built on language. AI is uniquely capable of working in the very medium that lawyers consider their stock in trade."

From Tools to Transformation

At Reed Smith, Richard describes his mission in one concise phrase: effective and responsible use at scale aligned to firm strategy. Each element is deliberate.

• Effective use requires choosing high-value problems, not chasing shiny features.
• Responsible use demands systemic safeguards that protect client information.
• Scale ensures benefits extend across the entire organization.
• Alignment to strategy guarantees that AI supports client needs.

This perspective reframes AI as a lever for transformation rather than a collection of new gadgets. It requires deliberate choices on resource allocation and governance. It also requires leadership: senior champions must articulate the vision and model responsible use while encouraging experimentation throughout the firm.

The Elusive Question of Value

Law firms now confront the question of how to measure AI's impact. Usage metrics such as adoption rates or feature clicks are not enough. Unlike manufacturing, legal work has always resisted easy quantification.

Richard argues that the industry must move toward value-based measurement. Engagement can be a proxy, but the real goal is to understand what lawyers achieve with AI and why those outcomes matter to clients. Over time, this may accelerate the shift from billing by the hour to pricing based on delivered outcomes.

"Engagement is not the destination. The real story is what our people accomplish with these tools and why it matters for clients."

Competitive Advantage Through Mastery

AI does not primarily threaten junior associates. The greatest benefits accrue to senior lawyers with domain expertise who can validate outputs and integrate them into strategy. Partners who know the terrain achieve results that associates cannot replicate.

AI amplifies expertise rather than replacing it. Firms that equip their most experienced professionals with AI capabilities, while redesigning training for younger lawyers, will establish durable competitive advantage.

The Governance Imperative

Rapid adoption brings heightened risk. Clients expect assurance that data is protected and regulators are paying close attention. Governance is now central. Training sessions and informal guidelines are insufficient. Firms need safeguards embedded in workflows, vendor contracts that prohibit misuse, and auditing mechanisms that verify quality.

Richard cautions that the profession is entering the "trough of disillusionment," when early enthusiasm collides with practical reality. Firms that invested early in governance frameworks will emerge stronger.

"The test is not whether you can roll out a tool. The test is whether you can govern it responsibly at scale."

Beyond Efficiency Toward Reinvention

For Robbins, the true promise of AI lies beyond efficiency. The opportunity is to reimagine workflows, rethink service delivery, and expand the scope of client value. Saving minutes matters less than creating outcomes that could not previously be achieved.

Firms that succeed will embrace AI as more than a tool. They will treat governance as strategy, empower senior expertise, measure outcomes that matter to clients, and cultivate a culture of experimentation.

"Generative AI is not a spectator sport. The firms that experiment, wrestle with the tools, and align them to strategy will transform faster than those that wait."