Inside the shift: the AI adoption boardgame and why law firm leaders can’t afford to play it safe
Michelle Nesbitt-Burrell, marketing strategy director at Thomson Reuters, offers a strategic framework for law firms to adopt and use AI successfully
Let’s be honest: most law firms know AI is a big deal. They’ve read the headlines, attended the conferences, and nodded along when someone says, ‘AI will change everything’. The problem? Knowing that AI matters and actually doing something strategic about it are two very different things. And this is where many firms are starting to lose ground.
AI adoption can be framed as a boardgame that’s already underway. Some firms are moving confidently across the board, while others are stuck on the starting square, not because they don’t see the future, but because they’re hesitating. The latest Thomson Reuters Institute (TRI) research shows that while the majority of lawyers say they believe AI will fundamentally transform the legal industry within the next few years, far fewer expect real change inside their own firms anytime soon. That disconnect is risky — especially when competitors and clients aren’t waiting around.
Here’s what should concern every law firm partner: corporate legal departments aren’t just playing the same AI adoption game, they’re winning it.
One of the most uncomfortable truths is that corporate legal departments are further often ahead on AI adoption and utilisation than their outside counsel. In fact, many corporate legal teams are investing in AI faster and using it more deeply in their day‑to‑day legal work. That means clients are reviewing contracts faster, doing more work internally, and increasingly judging their outside firms on their technological sophistication. In a world like that, the excuse of ‘we’re still experimenting’ stops sounding reasonable pretty quickly.
There are three players on the game board:
- The laggards: the firms with no meaningful AI plans and very little ROI to show for it.
- The adopters: the firms that are experimenting with tools but don’t really have a clear strategy. These firms see some efficiency gains but too often hit a ceiling.
- The innovators: the firms with visible, intentional AI strategies. These firms are far more likely to see ROI, revenue growth, and long‑term competitive advantages.
So, what separates the winners from everyone else?
The PLAYERS framework does: pilot with purpose, leadership that sets the pace, action over perfection, strong ethics, serious education, good data, and — most importantly — strategy before tools. In other words, those law firms that want to become innovators should stop asking, ‘what AI should we buy?’ and start asking, ‘what are we actually trying to achieve?’
Clearly, AI isn’t a side project anymore. Firms that treat it like one may save some time, but, the firms that approach AI adoption and implementation strategically will reshape how legal work gets done. The game is already moving — the only question is whether your firm is playing to win or quietly falling behind.
This article expands on the Thomson Reuters feature The AI adoption board game: Why law firms can’t play it safe by Michelle Nesbitt-Burrell, marketing strategy director at Thomson Reuters, which you can read here.
