New research suggests that European law firms are united in the view that Gen AI is going to reshape legal services, from how they are delivered to how work is priced.

A report by The Global Legal Post in association with LexisNexis uncovers the extent to which leading European law firms are experimenting with Gen AI and the lessons they have learned from the first wave of projects.

Harnessing Gen AI in law: Lessons from the front lines in Europe is based on interviews with senior lawyers and executives from top firms in Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium.

The research finds that law firms and in-house teams are waking up to Gen AI’s ability to improve the quality of legal advice at a lower cost as well as the stress this is already placing on the traditional law firm model.

Raúl Rubio, an IP and technology partner at Spanish firm Pérez-Llorca, said: “The pricing model will become more and more value-based – this means that in some cases, we will be able to provide more value than the hours that we invest in a specific task.”

Firms believe the role of the lawyer will also shift, with a greater emphasis placed on relationship building and providing more sophisticated advice.

Beatriz Rodríguez Gómez, a partner at fellow Spanish firm RocaJunyent, said: “Using these tools means I dedicate less time to things that don’t add value for my clients and I can spend more time on what they really need me to think about.”

The report also lays out the integration challenges that firms are currently facing and how they are overcoming them. 

Some of these issues include finding the right tools for their needs from the myriad options available, as well as ensuring user buy-in and adoption.

Sebastian Bardou, VP strategy in the CEMEA region at LexisNexis, said the right approach to integration will depend on firm size and how the tech will be used.

He said: “The smaller ones will be able to implement very quickly because the disruption would be quite limited. For the larger ones, it’s better to implement in waves. You can’t just turn on a switch and say everyone is going to use it.”

The report also examines the impact Gen AI will have on skills needs and what it means for training future lawyers in a world where much of the legal work traditionally performed by juniors is instead handled by AI.

Mathieu Balzarini, VP product in the CEMEA region at LexisNexis, said: “As Gen AI becomes part of everyday legal work, the most valuable professionals will be those who can ask the right questions, interpret AI-generated output with a critical eye and use those insights to drive better outcomes.”

Some firms, such as Hengeler Mueller and Gleiss Lutz in Germany and Perez-Llorca and RocaJunyent in Spain, are already integrating Gen AI tech into their daily workflows to improve efficiency. 

For example, Hengeler Mueller is using AI for first-level review in its investigations work, while Gleiss Lutz lawyers are using it for summarising and comparing documents.

Balzarini said: “AI integration isn’t just about dropping in a tool – it’s about reshaping processes, mindsets and in many cases, incentives.”

To download the full report, click here.

The full list of participants
Andrew Cooke, chief legal officer, TravelPerk
Beatriz Rodríguez Gómez, partner, RocaJunyent
Eric Wagner, partner, Gleiss Lutz
Joan Roca Sagarra, executive chair, RocaJunyent
Margarida Saragoça, business and knowledge director, Vieira de Almeida
Paula Gomes Freire, managing partner, Vieira de Almeida
Pierre Zickert, counsel and manager for legal technology, Hengeler Mueller
Raúl Rubio, IP and technology partner, Pérez-Llorca 
Stephane Criel, partner, Monard Law
Thomas Meurer, M&A partner, Hengeler Mueller
Vittorio Pomarici, partner, 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, Harnessing Gen AI in law – lessons from the front lines in Europe, and here to visit the Generative AI Legal Research Hub.