Overview
My work focuses on improving how legal work is performed inside law firms, drawing on my 20+ years as a Sullivan & Cromwell partner and 15 years of practice management consulting to AmLaw firms. This includes the practical adoption of AI, and more broadly involves changes to staffing, collaboration, and execution that improve both client outcomes and firm economics. This work is done within specific practices and matter types, not as a general technology initiative. The objective is to improve realization, leverage and overall matter profitability, not simply to introduce new tools.
AI Adoption in Practice Groups
Many firms are investing heavily in AI tools but are seeing uneven adoption and limited impact on how work is actually performed.
I work with practice groups to identify where AI can meaningfully improve execution and to embed its use into day-to-day workflows.
This includes:
- Identifying high-value use cases within specific practices
- Integrating AI into existing workflows rather than layering it on top
- Developing practical approaches that lawyers will actually use
- Creating standardized workflows within practices to leverage AI use cases and improve consistency
- Moving from pilot programs to sustained, practice-level adoption
In one engagement, this approach led to approximately 60% of lawyers using ChatGPT weekly within six months.
This work focuses on changing how lawyers actually perform legal work within matters, which is where most AI initiatives fall short.
AI Pilots
Firms currently face many questions regarding AI tools for their lawyers.
- Should we adopt a general purpose tool, such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini?
- Or a law-oriented tool such as Harvey or Legora?
- Or both types?
- How do special-purpose legal tools fit into the mix?
- How do we structure a pilot to determine which tool is right for us?
I work with firms to answer these questions and manage the pilot, including
- who should participate
- what they should be asked to do
- the questions to ask
- how to analyze the results
- how to negotiate with the vendor
A well-designed pilot also serves as the foundation for broader adoption within the firm.
Pricing and Profitability When Adopting AI
AI adoption and other practice efficiency initiatives are intertwined with the levers of law firm profitability. If changes to pricing legal services are done well, such as through implementation of targeted value pricing, firms that become more efficient through AI will thrive. If the relationship of efficiency and profitability is ignored, however, a firm may find itself chasing fees downward to compete with other AI-adopting firms but not improving profits.
It is important that firms address this pricing issue early, before AI efficiency gains are extensive enough to reduce the firm's benchmark pricing against which future value prices will be measured. In other words, avoid the pitfall of introducing value pricing after benchmark matter fees have already eroded through use of AI.
I work with firms to identify opportunities for value pricing when adopting AI and how to manage those situations.
Implementation and Change
The primary challenge is rarely identifying what should change; it is making change happen within practice groups.
I work directly with partners and their teams on active matters to implement changes in real time.
This includes:
- Engaging partners and senior lawyers in the process
- Creating ownership within practice groups
- Using practical and behavioral approaches to drive adoption
- Ensuring changes are sustained over time
This work often involves extensive direct engagement with practice groups; for example, through structured working sessions across multiple teams. Without this level of engagement, most initiatives do not result in sustained changes in practice.
The focus is on execution, not recommendations.
How Engagements Work
I typically work directly with firm leadership and selected practice groups in a hands-on capacity.
Engagements are tailored to the firm's priorities but are generally characterized by:
- Direct involvement with practice leaders
- Focus on specific practices or matter types
- Iterative implementation over an extended period rather than one-time analysis or recommendations
- Close alignment with firm economics and client expectations
When to Engage
Firms typically engage me when:
- AI investments are not producing meaningful changes in practice
- Practice groups are under pressure to improve profitability
- There is a need to translate strategy into execution
- Leadership wants practical, experience-based guidance