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Small firms, big tech

05 September 2025 / Robert Taylor
Issue: 8129 / Categories: Features , Profession , Artificial intelligence , Legal services , Technology
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Access to AI risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms. Robert Taylor sets out the tools they need—& how to find them
  • SME law firms need AI tools that are simple, affordable, cloud-based, and focused on practical contract review.
  • AI should support, not replace, solicitor judgment, with built-in regulatory safeguards.

  • Legal technology has evolved rapidly over the past five years. From contract analytics and document automation to artificial intelligence (AI)-driven decision support tools, these developments have been enthusiastically adopted by large regional, national and international law firms, as well as by alternative legal service providers.

    However, as innovation has accelerated, so too has a growing disparity in access. Many small and high-street firms remain unable to engage with these tools, held back by barriers including cost, system complexity and limited internal technical resource. This technological divide is not merely inconvenient; it risks entrenching long-term disadvantage for firms already operating under economic pressure.

    Without access to affordable and efficient AI tools, smaller firms may find themselves offering slower

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    MOVERS & SHAKERS

    Birketts—trainee cohort

    Birketts—trainee cohort

    Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

    Keoghs—four appointments

    Keoghs—four appointments

    Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

    Brabners—Ben Lamb

    Brabners—Ben Lamb

    Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

    NEWS
    Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
    The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
    Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
    Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
    From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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