Law firms often spend heavily on pricey AI software licenses, only to see many licenses go unused. That's why winning over attorneys is crucial to making the technology stick.
Over half of lawyers have used generative AI for at least one use case, up from 35% the previous year, according to Law360's 2025 AI survey. But the industry's AI adoption still lags behind other professionals in accounting, consulting and finance.
Here, two firms discuss what worked for them.
Bite-Sized Training, Mass Communication
Lightfoot Franklin & White LLC deployed the legal AI assistant Harvey across its law firm in 2024, which Corey Thomas, the firm's chief technology officer, called "the most successful software I ever rolled out."
The Alabama-based trial law firm purchased licenses for Harvey for about half of its 80 attorneys. Thomas told Law360 Pulse that every license was quickly adopted, and the other attorneys who didn't initially receive access wanted it. The firm later acquired Harvey licenses for the rest of its attorneys.
The firm has also successfully rolled out Lexis+ AI from LexisNexis Legal & Professional and Microsoft Copilot.
Thomas said some of the firm's most successful strategies to get attorneys to adopt the AI tools included lunch and learn programs, short videos on how to use the tools and one-page handouts with information.
Midsize firms often struggle with tech rollouts, but Lightfoot Franklin turned its smaller scale into an advantage, rallying attorneys around new AI tools.
One initiative that Lightfoot Franklin used to its advantage was a staff newsletter launched during the pandemic to keep attorneys connected. Over time, it evolved into a platform to highlight law firm wins and personal milestones. Eventually, Thomas said, the firm used the newsletter to showcase how attorneys were using AI tools to save time in their work.
Internal Influencers
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP concentrated on human adaptability for its AI rollouts.
"Anytime you ask people to change how they work, the way they work, where they work, the tools they use, it's very disruptive," Jason Schultz, Michael Best's chief innovation and technology officer, told Law360 Pulse.
To smooth the transition, Michael Best relied on change-management tactics to roll out AI tools with minimal disruption. Schultz said he used the Kotter Method, a change model developed by Harvard professor John Kotter, which builds successful organizational change through eight steps.
The first step in the Kotter Method is to create a sense of urgency to motivate people to change.
To do so, Schultz said organizations need to answer the "Three Whys" about their staff: Why should they do anything? Why should they do it now? And why should they do what you're asking them to do?
Failure to answer those limits an organization's ability to get to the next phase, which is building a coalition of employees who are inspired to enact the change, according to Schultz.
Michael Best built a coalition of attorney "champions" to rally colleagues around the new AI tools. Schultz admitted it wasn't easy to find early adopters, given the industry's low tolerance for risk, so the firm leaned on trusted staff as internal influencers.
"We look for people who are vocal," Schultz said. "People who share their opinions, share their perspective, regardless of whether it has to do with technology or not."
Michael Best found its internal influencers by mapping its stakeholders, including personas, the practice groups and business units open to change.
The firm looked at employee data, including surveys and its IT service desk data. Schultz said that individuals calling the IT service desk more often about troubleshooting problems might be more vocal in wanting to improve the organization, even if they are not necessarily tech-savvy.
Diversity is also key in building a coalition for change, including having individuals across practice areas and with different types of roles, according to Schultz.
Once the firm identified individuals for its coalition, Schultz said it aligned them around the problem of inefficiencies that AI could solve. These individuals became Michael Best's early adopters of AI and evaluated potential tools during demonstrations.
When the firm piloted AI software, the individuals in the coalition did the beta testing. Michael Best gave those individuals personalized training resources to build their confidence and expertise in the tools before rolling them out to the entire firm. Once they were comfortable with the AI tools, the firm positioned those individuals as advocates and influencers.
Beyond Early Adoption
Getting attorneys to try basic AI features is only the first step. Some law firms are pushing for more regular use to realize the full benefits.
Lightfoot Franklin tracks user data to measure how often attorneys rely on the AI tools. To boost those numbers, the firm wants to offer more advanced training, but Thomas noted that attorneys are often too busy to attend routine AI training sessions.
Across the industry, generative AI training remains uneven. Law360 Pulse's 2025 AI survey found that only 40% of attorneys at midsize firms and 15% at small firms have received generative AI training, compared with about two-thirds of BigLaw attorneys.
To boost attendance at AI trainings, Thomas said the firm is weighing incentives like gift cards for attorneys who participate most frequently by attending sessions.
In the near future, the firm will also implement a strategy that combines training with an engineer who can guide attorneys in a practice area about how the AI tools can help them with pain points.
Under the plan, Thomas said the engineering team would study how attorneys in each practice area work daily and identify ways the AI tools could save time and add value for clients. For instance, advanced AI prompting can help attorneys handle repetitive tasks more efficiently.
"Let's go a step above training," Thomas said. "How can we help AI deliver better value to clients and increase efficiency?"
--Additional reporting by Sarah Martinson. Editing by Nicole Bleier.
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