To be a successful adopter of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and solutions, a law firm must consider the wider implications of this technology—addressing desired outcomes, overall technology quality, and security concerns.

In this article, we’ll dive into the three questions your law firm should consider before adopting AI solutions. These insights will help you maximize your ROI on legal AI and protect your clients, team, and business.

#1: What Outcomes Does Your Law Firm Expect from AI?

They say you shouldn’t go to the grocery store hungry. That’s because, without a grocery list and a meal plan, chances are your eyes will be bigger than your stomach—and you’ll be left with random snacks in place of your weekly meals.

The same is true for technology investments, like AI. The same way that s’mores ice cream and dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets sound perfectly substantial when you’re starving— any old AI solution promising “productivity” can feel like a miracle solution when facing understaffing, productivity losses, or overwhelm in your law firm’s operations.

AI Solutions Should be Targeted: Productivity in AI for Law Firms

Before you invest in-- or even begin researching--AI solutions for law firms, you should clearly define your goals and intended outcomes. These goals and expectations should be specific and connected to greater business goals.

Some examples include:

• We want to increase collection rates by targeting our billing and payment processes. → This will increase our revenue.
• We want to increase our attorneys’ productivity with AI research and summarization. → This will allow us to maximize productivity in billable hours and improve client experiences.
• We want to cut down on hours spent writing contracts with a drafting solution. → This will help speed up our processes and leave more time for mission-critical tasks.

#2: Can Your Current Technology Support AI Adoption?

Think of AI like an exotic plant—you can’t simply fill a bucket with dirt from your yard and hope for the plant to bloom and thrive. Nor can you bake a cake in a toaster oven, or put all-weather truck tires on a bicycle... you get the idea.

In order for your AI solution to truly demonstrate ROI and reap the most benefits, it needs an up-to-date and modern technology environment to thrive in. Chances are, if your law firm is like many, you may be overdue for a tech upgrade. AI is certainly not a good first step to this process—in fact, it may need to be the very last item on a list of upgrades, or else you risk wasting the investment.

AI requires modern technology infrastructure in order to work properly. This can include:

• High-speed internet
• Cloud-based infrastructure
• Secure and fortified network
• Modern, newer devices i.e. computers, phones, etc.

AI requires modern, secure, and properly managed infrastructure in order to perform at its best. If your law firm is behind on technology modernization, consider investing first in overall improvements and updates before diving into AI adoption.

#3: How Will You Mitigate AI’s Added Cybersecurity Risks?

While AI has shown much promise for increasing the productivity of legal teams around the world, it has also become a point of increased risk. Improper use of AI can lead to serious security issues, including:

• Leaked client data
• Breaches by hackers and other attackers
• Breaches of client confidentiality
• Ethics concerns
• And more

Inputting client information into AI solutions and tools can be especially risky, as many of these tools lack the level of security necessary to protect client data, and can even be tricked by bad actors into revealing the information it stores from human inputs.

Law Firms Need Strong Cybersecurity Measures for AI Use

Proper cybersecurity relies broadly on three categories: people, processes, and technology. To keep your law firm and clients safe while using AI, address these areas and uncover gaps across all three categories for maximum protection. Examples of each include:

People

• Does our law firm have an existing cybersecurity policy, and are users following it?
• Are our users completing ongoing cyber risk awareness training?
• Will employees undergo AI training?
• Are we up-to-date with guidance from regulatory bodies, such as HIPAA and the ABA?
• What kind of human error could cause security issues with AI usage?
• Who in our organization will be in charge of AI oversight?
• How do we hold people accountable for cyber incidents resulting from AI policy infractions?

Processes

• How will we address existing cybersecurity gaps before introducing AI?
• Do we have strong Disaster Recovery (DR) and Incident Response (IR) plans in place today?
  
• Do we have written policies for cyber safety, and how can we update them to cover AI usage?
• What is the approval and preparation process for introducing an AI tool?
• What security risks do the AI tools we are evaluating pose?

Technology

• Where are the current gaps in our cybersecurity posture, and how can we fix them?
• Are we overdue for any critical software or hardware updates?
• What cybersecurity solutions do we have in place today?
• What solutions should be considered to lower our risk surrounding AI usage?

Final Note: Prep for Legal AI Before You Buy

It may be tempting to go all in on an AI investment due to promises of productivity, pressure from the industry at large, or a desire to be an innovator in the legal industry among competitors.

But, these investments only flourish under the right conditions—with specific intents and business cases, a strong technology infrastructure, and cybersecurity provisions that protect from the increased risk AI brings about.

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If you’re considering utilizing AI in 2026 or beyond, the ABA encourages law firms to reach out to a trusted cybersecurity professional.

As SOC 2 Type II compliant organization for over 5 years, Strategic Technology Solutions possesses the understanding, knowledge, and experience to guide law firms through AI adoption with strategic roadmapping and adherence to regulatory and industry-specific standards.