Leading European firms are increasingly moving from generative AI experimentation to structured deployment as they seek to embed AI into everyday legal work, new research reveals.
A report by The Global Legal Post, produced in association with LexisNexis, finds that senior law firm partners and executives are advancing from pilot projects to wider roll-out by putting in place the infrastructure that ensure Gen AI use is both repeatable and scalable.
By embedding AI into legal workflows, firms are starting to rethink how processes are designed from end-to-end rather than simply using AI to replicate manual tasks.
Firms that are leading on AI adoption are shifting from isolated prompts to reusable processes that can speed up legal work, improve consistency and foster wider use. For many firms, this is not only about completing tasks more efficiently, but also enhancing the quality of their legal work.
From prompts to process: How European law firms are embedding AI into the way legal work actually gets done is based on interviews with senior lawyers and executives at top-tier firms in Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands.
Firms that follow a formal adoption framework are ensuring that Gen AI use becomes integral to how they operate.
“AI is no longer a side project driven by a few enthusiastic partners, it’s a strategic part of the firm,” said Sara Molina, a partner in the legaltech and digital transformation practice at Spanish-headquartered firm Pérez-Llorca, which has offices in Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
For example, Pérez-Llorca is embedding AI for document review and analysis, contract review, preliminary legal research, drafting and due diligence tasks.
Expanding AI use beyond small groups also means putting in place robust guardrails to safeguard firm and client data.
“We have set up a governance model that ensures that all the data we have are handled securely,” said Lieselot Oosterkamp, executive board member at Dutch firm Loyens & Loeff.
Firms that are adopting AI more broadly are taking steps to think through how workflows can be redesigned. Some are doing this in collaboration with their AI suppliers to help customise their AI tools and make sure they are adapted to how lawyers will actually use them in practice.
“We are doing this with the support of our suppliers because it’s not easy to create these workflows in the AI platforms,” said Joana Mascarenhas, head of knowledge management at VdA in Portugal. “Our lawyers are now starting to evaluate the output and how useful these AI workflows can be in their daily work.”
While Gen AI can increasingly handle entire work streams, human oversight is still essential to monitor for quality and accuracy.
“Every AI output is checked and approved by an experienced lawyer before release,” said Eric Wagner, a partner at German firm Gleiss Lutz. “This means that AI handles the ‘first mile’ while context, decision-making and accountability stay firmly with humans.”
Workflow redesign is also about making sure that AI use is repeatable across the firm or specific practice areas. Firms are doing this by creating curated and continuously updated prompt libraries that promote re-use.
“It is not just having and sharing a static library of prompts, it’s about working together to constantly refine and ensure they are as effective as they can be,” said Raúl Rubio, an IP and technology partner at Pérez-Llorca.
Some firms are taking their best prompts and turning them into AI agents that can manage end-to-end workflows.
“These agents are in an agent library with explanations, so if you have no clue how to use AI at all, you can just go to the agent library and browse a little bit of what’s there and maybe get inspired,” said Pierre Zickert, a counsel and legal technology manager at Hengeler Mueller in Germany.
Pre-prompted workflows can also help improve accuracy and consistency.
“The idea is to completely erase manual prompting given that it creates too much room for error, and prompts may lack standardisation,” said Racha Saadat, head of strategy, Northern and Southern Europe at LexisNexis.
As AI use becomes more embedded into everyday work, some firms are looking beyond simple time savings and instead focusing on how AI can transform their level of service delivery.
“AI is providing more value to our clients – not just with shorter deadlines, but with deeper analysis and going further in the way that we provide our services,” said Rubio. “It may not dramatically reduce working hours, but it allows us to do more within the same time.”
The full list of participants
Eric Wagner, commercial law partner, Gleiss Lutz
Joana Mascarenhas, head of knowledge management, VdA
Lieselot Oosterkamp, executive board member, Loyens & Loeff
Marta Magalhães Cardoso, head of knowledge integration, VdA
Moritz Krause, legal technology manager, Gleiss Lutz
Pierre Zickert, counsel and legal technology manager, Hengeler Mueller
Racha Saadat, head of strategy, Northern and Southern Europe, LexisNexis.
Raúl Rubio, IP and technology partner, Pérez-Llorca
Sara Molina, partner, legaltech and digital transformation, Pérez-Llorca,
Thomas Meurer, M&A partner, Hengeler Mueller
Vittorio Pomarici, labour law partner and board member, BonelliErede
The Global Legal Post has teamed up with LexisNexis to help inform readers’ decision-making process in the selection of a Gen AI legal research solution.
Click here to download the report, The future of legal drafting: How people and AI can unleash the power of firm knowledge, and here to visit the Generative AI Legal Research Hub.
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