Clio report reveals AI adoption by 90% of UK and Ireland legal professionals

Clio: Clio is a legal software company that develops practice management tools for law firms. Its U.K. & Ireland Legal Insights Report 2026 examines AI adoption among legal professionals and its effects on firm operations and billing practices. The company highlights how AI is enabling efficiency gains and prompting reevaluation of traditional fee structures. Harvey: Harvey is a legal AI company that supplies artificial intelligence platforms tailored for law firms. Its tools are deployed by A&O Shearman for specific legal tasks and by Slaughter and May across all practice areas for regulatory research and document analysis. The company positions its technology as a way to accelerate routine legal processes while preserving the need for human oversight. Lexolent: Lexolent is a legal finance fund with offices in London and Dubai. It focuses on financing arrangements in the legal sector. Its leadership has weighed in on AI-driven changes to traditional billing and operational models in law firms. A&O Shearman: A&O Shearman is a major international law firm with a significant presence in the U.K. It has collaborated with legal AI provider Harvey to build custom artificial intelligence agents for tasks including loan agreement review and regulatory filing analysis. The firm is actively integrating these tools across its practice areas to streamline document-intensive work. Jorge Bestard: Jorge Bestard serves as head of EMEA at Harvey, the legal AI company. He has noted that faster access to drafts via AI does not automatically accelerate the development of lawyer competence. His comments address the need for deliberate approaches to maintaining skill-building opportunities as automation handles more routine work. Mansoor Soomro: Mansoor Soomro leads the Future of Work Research Unit at Teesside University in Middlesbrough, England. He has discussed how AI is affecting the billable hour and altering pathways for junior lawyers to develop core skills through repetitive tasks. His analysis suggests judgment and the ability to connect multiple legal areas will grow in importance. Nick Rowles-Davies: Nick Rowles-Davies is the founder and CEO of Lexolent, a legal finance fund operating from bases in London and Dubai. He has commented on how AI reduces time spent on standard documents and is challenging the viability of the billable hour model in law firms. His perspective emphasizes that complex legal strategy and judgment remain human domains even as automation advances. Teesside University: Teesside University is an institution in Middlesbrough, England, that houses the Future of Work Research Unit. The unit examines evolving labor dynamics, including technology's impact on professional fields such as law. Its leadership contributes insights on AI's role in reshaping legal training and practice. AI Integration: Leading U.K. law firms are deploying specialized legal AI tools to handle document review, regulatory analysis, and other routine tasks that previously required substantial lawyer time. Lawyer Development: Firms and researchers are exploring new methods to build junior lawyer skills, as AI assumes many repetitive tasks traditionally used for training. Billing Model Pressure: Legal industry observers and firm leaders are questioning the sustainability of the billable hour as AI significantly shortens the time needed for standard legal work.