UK firm Shoosmiths is planning to link its firmwide bonus scheme with AI use, with a shared £1m bonus pot up for grabs if the firm collectively hits one million Microsoft Copilot prompts over the next financial year.

The scheme – thought to be the first of its kind from a major law firm – will form part of the firm’s multi-million collegiate bonus pool that is available to all staff if certain metrics are met. The AI scheme, which builds on the firm’s partnership with Microsoft, is designed to encourage staff to embed AI into their day-to-day work and augment “the judgement, creativity and insight” of its lawyers and business teams.

David Jackson, Shoosmiths’ CEO, said: “We believe AI is a powerful enabler – one that can help us deliver smarter, faster, better results for our clients beyond what any other law firm is doing. This initiative is about creating a culture where everyone plays a role in embracing change and using technology to raise the bar on client service.”

The firm said that if all Shoosmiths staff use Copilot just four times per working day, it will “comfortably exceed” the one million prompts target. The firm plans to share monthly motivational updates to staff on its progress.

Jackson said: “Our passion for innovation is driven by our deep focus on client outcomes. We don’t fear AI – it won’t replace our people. Instead, it frees them to spend more time on the human-to-human work that really matters: solving problems, building trust and supporting clients through complexity.”

The firm has been revamping its organisational structure to support AI adoption among its lawyers, with new roles introduced including innovation leads for each division, as well as a head of legal innovation and a new data manager.

Jackson added: “This is not just about how many times someone uses AI – it’s about how well we use it and the benefits it will have for our clients. We’re giving our people the tools, the space and the encouragement to explore what’s possible – together. And that’s where the real power lies.”

A report published in February by the International Bar Association said the legal sector is still unprepared for AI, with a large disconnect between the potential impact of AI and what firms and other legal practitioners are doing to get ready for the change.

Also in February, Hill Dickinson said it was restricting access to generative AI tools following a “significant increase in usage” that was not in line with its AI policy.