Industry Corner: Legal and accounting leaders embrace AI for efficiency gains
Writer: Andrea Teran
Industry corner is a monthly series on what company leaders believe are the most important best practices in their sector or organization to ensure growth and sustainable success.
July 2025 — For law and accounting firms, where trust, expertise, and efficiency drive client relationships, artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept — it’s an operational necessity. But as firms roll out AI tools to streamline workloads and personalize services, maintaining ethical safeguards remains central to how the professional services sector evolves.
Streamlining workflows
From contract reviews to tax filings, AI is helping firms automate repetitive tasks and boost productivity. A 2025 State of AI in Accounting report found that 85% of accountants cite increased speed and efficiency as the top benefit of GenAI, with more than half believing a firm’s value declines if it does not adopt AI.
Larger firms are leading the charge: the ABA Tech Survey reported AI use among U.S. law firms nearly tripled in 2024, from 11% to 30%, with firms of 100 or more attorneys at 46% adoption, up from just 16% in the prior year. However, adoption patterns vary significantly by firm size and the tools they choose to use. ChatGPT remains the most widely used or considered AI application among smaller firms: 64% of firms with two to nine attorneys and 62% of solo practitioners report using or planning to use it, compared to just 36% of firms with 100-plus attorneys.
Meanwhile, legal-specific AI tools are gaining traction in larger practices. Thomson Reuters CoCounsel is used or under consideration by 26% of respondents overall, with higher adoption rates among firms with 10-49 attorneys (34%) and 50-99 attorneys (33%). Lexis+ AI shows steady uptake too, with about 24% of total respondents using or evaluating it across all firm sizes. Specialized tools like Harvey AI (5.9%), Anthropic (5.3%), and Spellbook (3%) have smaller but growing adoption, mainly concentrated in larger firms that have the resources to test emerging platforms alongside established ones.
Accounting giant Deloitte illustrates how in-house AI tools can move from pilot to practice at scale when paired with clear governance and staff engagement. The firm’s proprietary AI chatbot, PairD, launched in late 2023, now supports nearly 75% of Deloitte’s UK audit staff, up from about 25% a year earlier, helping junior employees handle routine tasks more effectively.
“We’ve been out in front of the AI trend for several years. In September 2023, we launched our proprietary AI platform, BuchananArtifex,” Marc Tepper, head of the Philadelphia office at Ingersoll & Rooney PC, told Invest:. “It helps our lawyers and government relations professionals better analyze legal and legislative issues impacting our clients and their industries.”
Client personalization
Beyond efficiency gains, AI is also enabling firms to pivot from compliance work to more strategic, insight-driven advisory services. CPA.com’s 2025 AI in Accounting Report underscores this shift: accountants increasingly use large language models to deliver deeper, real-time insights — a change that strengthens long-term client relationships.
“Our approach is to adapt technology where it enhances client service, where we can add more value without losing the personal touch and tailored insights that truly define our relationship with clients,” said Paula Ferreira, assistant managing partner at Forvis Mazars, in an interview with Invest:. “We want to use AI, use everything at our fingertips, but still be able to provide that service and that personal touch to clients.”
At Kaufman Rossin, the ongoing investment in data infrastructure and AI dashboards demonstrates how personalization works in practice. “AI adoption is going to be extremely important in skill set development, how jobs and roles are defined, how companies are adopting it and building a risk management framework around it,” Vera Nieuwland, director of digital transformation services, told Invest:. “That will continue to be a journey for our clients and something we will support them on.”
Balancing innovation and risk
Adoption momentum brings new challenges — from data privacy and model accuracy to managing AI “hallucinations.” Recent legal missteps show what’s at stake. In February 2025, Morgan & Morgan faced fines for filing court documents with fabricated citations generated by AI, a cautionary tale about insufficient verification.
In the UK, the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s recent approval of the AI-backed Garfield.Law platform came alongside strict oversight requirements, with regulators warning of “significant risks if firms fail to maintain human checks on AI output.”
“We took a disciplined and regimented approach to internal development and integration of AI from the very beginning,” Thomas Ryan, managing partner at K&L Gates LLP, told Invest:. “We have taken a diligent and holistic approach to governing our internal use of AI tools, including mandatory training and client consent. Finding ways to improve our services has been a product of open dialogue with our clients.”
As Reuters notes, trusted firms are adopting retrieval-augmented systems and clear governance to mitigate hallucinations, bias, and privacy risks — echoing global data compliance standards like GDPR and SOC 2 Type II compliance, a third-party audit to ensure firms adhere to industry-standard security practices.
The bottom line
The 2025 RSM Middle Market AI Survey shows that 91% of middle-market firms are already using generative AI, up from 77% last year, with 25% fully integrating it into core workflows. Yet the consensus remains, getting it right requires disciplined oversight, human expertise, and open dialogue with clients.
“We are exploring its potential to improve efficiency in certain tasks, but we are proceeding cautiously,” Kevin Kocun, managing partner at Lerner David, told Invest:. “In the intellectual property field, confidentiality is a major concern. While we see the value in AI, we are mindful of protecting our clients’ interests. If I had to predict the most impactful technology for our firm in the coming years, it would be AI. However, we are taking measured steps to ensure security and confidentiality.”
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