GoKawiilClio survey: 90% of UK/Ireland legal professionals now use AI, straining billable-hour model
A new report from legal software firm Clio finds nearly 90% of legal professionals in the UK and Ireland now use AI tools, with almost 80% of adopting firms saying they can take on more work without hiring, and over 70% citing cost savings from automating administrative tasks. The report also finds about one in five heavy AI-adopting firms struggling to hit billable-hour targets, while global legal leaders expect hourly billing's share of work to drop from 72% to 44% within two to three years. Firms including A&O Shearman and Slaughter and May are already deploying AI agents from Harvey for tasks like loan-agreement review and regulatory research.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The data suggests AI is forcing law firms to rethink pricing models built around time spent rather than value delivered, since tasks that once took hours can now take seconds. This could accelerate a shift toward flat fees or outcome-based billing, though how quickly that happens may depend on client expectations and firm competition. It may also reshape how junior lawyers are trained, since much of their traditional apprenticeship work involved exactly the document review tasks AI now automates.
- Nearly 90% of UK and Ireland legal professionals now use AI, per Clio's 2026 report.
- One in five firms with wide AI adoption report difficulty meeting billable-hour targets.
- Global legal leaders expect hourly billing's share of work to fall from 72% to 44% within two to three years.
Source: cnbc.com — Lindsay Dodgson, 2026-10-10
Published there as: “AI is changing how lawyers work — and putting the billable hour under pressure”
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