Over the past two years, the legal profession has pivoted from cautiously observing generative AI to actively using it. Industry surveys illustrate the acceleration, with most surveys showing a doubling or tripling in the availability of generative AI technology at law firms over the past year alone. However, just because generative AI is available at a law firm does not mean it is being used. Hiding beneath the headlines lie the real barriers to AI adoption.
It’s not the technology holding law firms back. It’s the people: their habits, hesitations, and deeply ingrained ways of working. In my experience, there are four core objections that come up time and time again when trying to implement AI solutions. The good news? Each one can be overcome.
1. “Can I Trust the Output?”
Barrier: Concerns about the accuracy of generative AI became the default objection the moment ChatGPT made headlines, fueled in part by stories of careless lawyers citing hallucinated case law. While a potential concern, it becomes an easy excuse for those who prefer the status quo and don’t want to change how they’ve always worked.
What works: In practice, this is usually a catch-all objection from attorneys who simply don’t want to use generative AI. But here’s the thing: they already have to review the work of junior associates on their cases, so this isn’t new territory. Every experienced attorney is prepared to review the work of even their most trusted partners before they file a brief. While accuracy concerns were valid two years ago, the technology has advanced rapidly. Today, generative AI is generally reliable, especially with RAG-based tools that ground their responses in the firm’s own documents or curated content sources.
When someone raises this objection, it’s rarely the full story. Accuracy is a valid concern, but often the real concern is something else: fear of lost billables, lack of time to learn, or skepticism that AI can handle “bespoke” legal work. To make progress, you need to dig deeper to discover the real concern, as reassuring skeptics that the technology is accurate will never be sufficient if that’s not the actual concern.
2. “If I Use This, I’ll Lose Billable Hours”
Barrier: Time is money for an attorney, literally. Lawyers fear that shaving two hours off a task means losing two hours of revenue. Generative AI’s entire sales pitch is that it enables you to do more with less, which is antithetical to the billable hour model.
What works: This is one of the harder objections to overcome. Our most active generative AI users are typically attorneys with more work than they can reasonably manage. For them, saving two hours on one task means gaining two hours to focus on higher-value work. They welcome the efficiency and what it means: more high-quality work.
However, for those closer to minimum targets, the fear is more acute: if I become more efficient, what happens to the rest of my workload? The uncomfortable reality is that clinging to inefficiency as a business strategy isn’t sustainable, and the legal industry has seen this before. Clients no longer pay for basic legal research, e-discovery is largely commoditized, and document automation has reshaped entire practice areas.
Rather than resisting generative AI, the better strategy is to get ahead of it. Learn the technology now. Figure out where it fits in your workflow. Attorneys who treat AI as a companion, not a threat, are already using it to elevate their work: taking on more complex assignments, generating higher-quality output, and creating space to grow their practice rather than protect it. Using generative AI in this way will lead to more opportunities, not less.
3. “I’m Too Busy to Learn Another Tool.”
Barrier: Most generative AI tools come with at least some learning curve, as most people can’t just pick them up and use them without prior exposure. In the legal industry, training sessions often compete with billable deadlines, which makes them difficult to attend for the attorneys who need the tools the most. On top of that, it’s natural to seek out solutions when you are under pressure, not when a training is conveniently scheduled.
What works: This is actually one of the easier challenges to overcome, but it requires planning and a quick response. The key is to meet attorneys where they are and offer support the moment they need it. If you can provide a prompt or workflow that helps them complete a project faster or hit a tight deadline, the impact is immediate and memorable.
One timely assist is often more effective than any scheduled training. When a tool helps an attorney finish work faster, avoid weekend hours, or reduce stress during crunch time, that attorney is much more likely to become a regular user. Often, the attorney then shares the experience with colleagues. That word-of-mouth marketing drives more adoption than any firm-wide email ever could.
4. “My Work Is Too Specialized, AI Can’t Help.”
Barrier: Many attorneys believe their niche practice and years of experience can never be replicated by a machine.
What works: This objection often comes from the same attorneys who question the accuracy of AI output. The best (and oftentimes only) way to reach this attorney is through word-of-mouth marketing. When they hear from someone in their own practice group that a tool is saving time or improving quality, they’re far more likely to take a second look.
To overcome this barrier, lean into the success of your tools and make that success visible. Highlight real use cases and ask your most active users to share their experiences directly. Attorneys trust their peers more than a marketing email, so use that to your advantage. If one attorney says the tool helped them draft a client alert or prep for a deposition in half the time, others will follow. And once they try it, the idea that their work is “too specialized” usually fades away quickly.
Building generative AI tools is a significant challenge, but it’s only the first chapter. The next, and often more difficult, chapter is driving adoption. Just because a tool exists doesn’t mean it will be used. Success depends not just on the quantity and quality of the technology, but on how well you understand and address the underlying challenges delaying the adoption of generative AI tools. Top firms are already implementing strategic solutions to deliver better work for clients more efficiently, so not driving adoption of your AI solutions isn’t a viable option.
Adoption can start with marketing emails and change management plans, but that alone won’t get you across the finish line. Real traction comes in the moments when you can meet someone where they are and show them a tool that helps them meet a deadline, reclaim time, or deliver better work. In the end, even the most advanced tools rely on something simple: people choosing to use them.
