It’s 2025. If your firm still runs on paper and guesswork, you’re already behind.
While some lawyers still scribble on yellow pads, the top firms are building dashboards, crunching data, and handing the grunt work to AI.
Baker Botts’ managing partner, Danny David, doesn’t mince words: “If you’re not using data, you’re not in the game.”
This isn’t just about being tech-savvy. It’s about survival.
Law Firms Are Quietly Becoming Data Companies
A few years ago, firms were “trying out” AI. Now, it’s just how the job gets done.
They use data analytics to:
- Boost productivity
- Win new business
- Show clients value with real numbers
The Bloomberg Law Leading Law Firms Survey showed the shift. Of nearly 100 top firms, over 60 use data tools to run smarter. Close to half now use generative AI—yes, the same tech powering ChatGPT—to assist lawyers and clients alike.
And the results? Let’s talk numbers.
The Profits Don’t Lie
Ballard Spahr drove profits up 30% from 2019 to 2022.
How? Internal dashboards. A smarter data warehouse. Tiny tweaks. Big payoff.
As Lisa Mayo Haynes, the firm’s innovation lead, puts it: “Prescriptive and predictive data changed everything.”
They showed lawyers what to do differently—with clients, with time, with strategy.
And it worked.
Davis Wright Tremaine’s Dan Szabo calls it “low effort, high impact.”
Simple dashboards gave them—and their clients—real-time insight on costs, outcomes, and attorney expertise.
That alone helped both sides budget smarter. And build trust faster.
AI Is Now Table Stakes
Back in 2022, firms were AI-curious. Now it’s baked into daily workflow.
Some firms buy tools. Others build their own. Either way, generative AI is in the mix.
McDermott Will & Emery uses its own proprietary AI.
Seyfarth Shaw arms attorneys with fast, AI-generated information.
DWT.ai at Davis Wright gives a full view of attorney skills—on demand.
This isn’t gimmicky tech. It’s now the baseline.
$20 Million to Stay Ahead
McDermott didn’t stop at tools. They invested $20 million in the Legal Tech Fund.
Why? Not for the cash.
Firm chair Ira Coleman says it’s about staying relevant: “The purpose is to be cutting edge.”
This is the kind of strategic bet that decides who makes it into the 2030 Top 10.
And Szabo from Davis Wright agrees: “The winners are being decided right now.”
No AI Strategy = Bad Business
Lowenstein Sandler’s COO Maureen Naughton is blunt:
Not using AI or data to speed up contract work? That’s just “bad business.”
What used to take days now takes minutes.
AI tools can draft, review, and structure—faster, cheaper, better.
And if your firm isn’t doing this?
Your clients are already noticing.
What Makes a Firm Stand Out in 2025?
Firms like Seyfarth Shaw aren’t the biggest. But they’ve built deep buy-in for using AI and analytics.
That mindset matters more than office count.
As firm chair Lorie Almon says, using AI to optimize legal work “is already table stakes.”
Translation? You can’t afford to sit this one out.
It’s All About Trusting the Data
Data’s no good if no one believes in it.
Mayo Haynes puts it simply: “If they don’t trust it, they won’t use it.”
Getting data into shape means cleaning it, centralizing it, and presenting it clearly.
Firms that invest in this are seeing better decisions, better profits, and better client outcomes.
Bottom Line? The Future’s Already Decided
The gap is widening. Firms who run on dashboards and AI are pulling ahead fast.
Those who don’t? They’ll be watching from the sidelines.
Want more proof? Check out the top innovation firms from Bloomberg’s survey.
The future isn’t coming. It’s already here.
