Practical AI for law firms.
See which admin job to hand to AI first, and what it costs you now.
Free, and no email needed.
- For a 30-person high street firmStart with attendance notesThe most expensive job on the list
- What it costs now40 hours and £3,497 a monthFee-earner time at £87.42 an hour
- Against a chargeable year59% of one fee earner's yearLaw Society median of 807 hours
- What AI doesDrafts each note from dictationThe fee earner checks and signs every note
- Before you startAgree the rules and one approved toolThen a four-week pilot in one team
You know AI could help. The hard part is knowing where it's safe to start.
Attendance notes, client care letters and file opening all eat hours. It's hard to tell which jobs AI suits, or what the SRA expects.
What stays with people
Legal advice, court work, and AML and conflict decisions. A person checks everything AI produces.
- 01
First drafts
Attendance notes from dictation, client care letters from the matter details, standard letters from your precedents.
- 02
Checking long documents
Leases and contracts read against your checklist, each answer linked to its clause.
- 03
Finding past work
Past advice, precedents and emails, found and summarised.
The check takes about two minutes.
Four short questions about your firm and its work. You get a one-page plan.
- 01
Your firm
Your type of practice and its size.
- 02
The jobs that eat time
Up to three: how often, how long and who does them.
- 03
How the office runs
Your systems, and whether staff already use AI.
- 04
Cost per hour
Support-staff time at £19.67 an hour (median pay, before employer costs) and fee-earner time at £87.42 (the Law Society's median cost per fee earner). Both are yours to change.
Ten office jobs the check looks at.
Pick the three that take most of your team's time. The plan ranks them by cost.
Opening new matters
From first enquiry to an opened file.- 01Answering and logging new enquiries
- 02Conflict, ID and AML checks at file opening
- 03Chasing clients for documents
- 04Opening the file and the client care letter
Fee earners' admin
The writing that eats into evenings.- 05Attendance notes and file notes
- 06Standard letters and documents from precedents
- 07Finding past advice, precedents and emails
- 08Time recording and bill narratives
Review and compliance
Long documents and the records the SRA expects.- 09Reviewing leases and contracts against a checklist
- 10File reviews and compliance records
Free templates and plain guides.
Checked against the SRA's rules and the legislation.
- 01What is a COLP? Duties and who can be oneGuide · ComplianceBreach record in Word, Excel and PDF
- 02AML checks for solicitors at file openingGuide · ComplianceChecklist in Word and PDF
- 03Client care letter template and checklistTemplate · Everyday adminWord and PDF
- 04The SRA's AI warning notice: what your firm needs to doGuide · Compliance
- 05Attendance note template for solicitorsTemplate · Everyday adminWord and PDF
- 06AI policy template for law firmsTemplate · ComplianceWord and PDF
- 07How law firms use AI: ten office jobsGuide · Everyday admin
How to start, safely.
One job, timed before and after. Keep it only if it saves time.
- 01
Measure
Time the job as it runs today.
- 02
Prepare
Agree the tools, what client information they can see and who checks each output. Bring your COLP in early.
- 03
Pilot
Four weeks, one team, your own files. Compare the hours and the quality.
Questions partners ask first.
Do we need new software?
Often not. Tools you already pay for, such as Microsoft 365 or your case management system, may be enough.
Can client documents go into AI?
Only into tools with the contractual, technical and organisational safeguards the SRA's AI warning notice of 17 August 2026 asks for.
Who is responsible if AI gets something wrong?
The firm and the fee earner, as now. The SRA is clear that using AI doesn't move responsibility.
What should AI never do?
Give legal advice, put anything before a court unchecked, or make AML and conflict decisions.
Will it replace people?
It takes on repetitive admin, so fee earners get time back for chargeable work.
See where AI fits in your firm.
About two minutes.