85% of legal professionals report some AI adoption at their firms. Yet just 9.5% of stalled prospective-client matters received follow-up within 30 days.

Let that sink in.

We’re living through arguably the most significant technological transformation the legal profession has experienced in decades.

AI can research complex legal questions, draft documents, analyse information and increasingly help coordinate entire workflows.

Yet some law firms are still struggling with something far more fundamental.

Following up with someone who wants to become a client!

The two statistics measure different aspects of legal practice, but together they reveal a fascinating contradiction.

Are law firms investing in the FUTURE while overlooking the BASICS?

That question has stayed with me as I’ve explored Clio’s 2026 Legal Trends Report and the announcements surrounding ClioCon 2026 in Boston.

Having proudly partnered with Clio through the Legally Speaking Podcast™ since 2021, and with this being my fourth ClioCon, I’ve had a front-row seat to an extraordinary period of growth and innovation.

But this year feels particularly significant.

Because Clio isn’t simply introducing more legal technology.

It’s pursuing a much bigger ambition: connecting the business and practice of law through AI that understands the work, helps coordinate it and can carry it forward under professional oversight.

And the commercial implications could be enormous.

1. The real AI divide isn’t adoption. It’s commercial execution.

Clio’s latest research shows that 85% of surveyed US legal professionals report some AI adoption at their firms, up from 79% in 2025.

That alone tells us how dramatically the conversation has changed.

A few years ago, law firm leaders were asking whether AI had a place in their businesses.

Now the more important question is whether it’s improving how those businesses perform.

The financial findings are particularly interesting.

64% of professionals at AI-using firms report a positive revenue impact, compared with 36% in 2025.

Meanwhile, Clio’s anonymised operating data shows approximately 8% higher revenue per responsible lawyer among firms adopting its AI capabilities, rising to around 10% for firms using AI across Clio Work and Clio Manage, compared with comparable non-adopters.

These are associations, not proof that AI alone caused the improvements.

Nevertheless, they support a compelling commercial argument.

The real opportunity isn’t simply making lawyers faster. It’s connecting greater productivity to better business outcomes.

Clio’s report also projects average lawyer utilisation reaching approximately 42% in 2026, up from 39% in 2025.

So while AI is accelerating individual tasks, lawyers are collectively recording more billable work.

That’s the AI productivity paradox.

Greater efficiency doesn’t automatically mean less work. It can create capacity to take on additional matters, improve service delivery and potentially reach clients who previously couldn’t afford legal help.

But there is an important catch.

If law firms continue operating exactly as they always have, much of that opportunity could be lost.

2. Clio’s bigger strategic bet: From managing work to getting work done

One of ClioCon 2026’s biggest announcements is a completely reimagined AI-powered experience bringing Clio Grow, Clio Manage and Clio Work together.

The significance goes well beyond having everything accessible from one place.

Clio’s ambition is to connect the information, intelligence and actions involved throughout a legal matter.

From the initial client enquiry to research, matter management, substantive legal work and billing, the platform is being designed to understand relevant context and help coordinate the next steps.

Crucially, lawyers retain oversight and control over what the AI can do and where approval is required.

The new experience begins rolling out in November 2026.

Why does this matter?

Because for years, legal professionals have spent considerable time moving between disconnected systems, duplicating information and manually coordinating work.

And increasingly, the differentiator won’t be which AI model can produce the most impressive answer.

It will be whether that intelligence can be trusted and put to work in the context of an actual legal matter.

Clio’s acquisitions of ShareDo and vLex, alongside its expansion into the judiciary through Learned Hand, provide additional context for this strategy.

The company is positioning itself across a much broader part of the legal ecosystem than traditional practice management.

The ambition is shifting from software that records what lawyers do to technology that helps them get it done.

That’s a meaningful change in direction for the entire industry.

3. The biggest opportunity might be hiding in your firm’s telephone

Of all the announcements, Clio Phones particularly caught my attention from a commercial perspective.

And here’s why.

The Legal Trends Report found that just 9.5% of stalled prospective-client matters in Clio’s analysed intake data received follow-up within 30 days.

Think about the money law firms invest in generating enquiries through referrals, marketing, advertising and business development.

Then consider what happens when somebody makes contact and the opportunity simply isn’t progressed.

That’s not just an administrative problem.

It’s potentially lost revenue, a poor client experience and, in some circumstances, another person struggling to access legal help.

Clio Phones is designed to bring client conversations directly into the wider legal workflow.

AI-generated transcripts, summaries and prepared time entries can help preserve important information and connect it to the relevant client or matter.

The commercial case is interesting too.

Surveyed firms reported spending an average of three hours each week on post-call administration and losing 4.6 billable hours each month through unlogged call time.

Clio Phones is initially available for trial in selected US states, so its broader impact remains to be seen.

But it addresses an important issue.

Sometimes the greatest opportunity for innovation isn’t doing more sophisticated legal work. It’s making sure firms don’t lose the opportunities already sitting in front of them.

For managing partners focused on growth, that deserves serious attention.

4. Vincent Projects: The future of AI isn’t just individual productivity

Another development worth watching is Vincent Projects, Clio’s new collaborative AI workspace.

Much of the AI conversation has focused on making individual professionals more productive.

But legal work is rarely an individual endeavour.

Matters move between partners, associates, paralegals, legal operations teams and sometimes multiple offices or jurisdictions.

What happens to valuable research, analysis and knowledge when that work remains tied to one person’s AI conversations?

Vincent Projects aims to solve that problem by enabling teams to share documents, research and AI-assisted work within a common workspace.

The wider opportunity is significant.

Rather than constantly repeating work, legal teams can build on existing knowledge and preserve continuity across matters.

For larger firms and corporate legal departments, that could change how institutional knowledge is captured and used.

The next stage of AI may be less about making one lawyer more productive and more about making an entire legal team more effective.

5. Clients are changing. And so is their definition of value.

Here’s another finding I believe law firm leaders should take seriously.

46% of US adults say they would consult AI before contacting a lawyer.

The way people begin their legal journey is changing.

Prospective clients can increasingly explore legal questions before deciding whether they need professional advice.

But accessing information and trusting someone with a legal matter are two very different things.

Only 6% of surveyed consumers identified a firm’s use of modern technology or AI as a deciding factor when choosing a lawyer.

Quality, experience and cost remain far more important.

Then there’s the pricing challenge.

57% of consumers believe legal services should cost less when AI enables the same work to be delivered faster.

That’s an uncomfortable question for a profession whose economics have traditionally been closely linked to time.

Imagine a piece of legal work that once required 20 hours can now be completed to the same standard in five.

Who should benefit?

The law firm through improved profitability?

The client through lower fees?

Or could those efficiencies unlock entirely new markets for legal services?

I don’t believe there is one universal answer.

But firms will increasingly need to think about how they demonstrate and price the value of their expertise, not simply the time required to deliver it.

And trust will be central to that conversation.

The report found that 82% of consumers want to know when their lawyer uses AI, while 70% say transparency increases their trust.

Yet only 26% are comfortable with AI making decisions about their case.

The message is clear.

Clients may welcome AI assistance, but they still expect professional judgement, accountability and human understanding.

Technology should strengthen that relationship, not undermine it.

6. The next challenge extends beyond law firms themselves

Clio’s expansion into the judiciary through Learned Hand is particularly interesting when viewed alongside these findings.

If AI helps lawyers research, draft and progress matters more quickly, what happens when that additional activity reaches courts already operating under significant pressure?

Could making lawyers faster actually make the wider justice system slower?

It’s a question worth asking.

Clio’s move into judicial technology, supported by leaders including former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack and legal AI pioneer Pablo Arredondo, suggests an ambition to address challenges beyond the law firm itself.

But developing technology for courts carries responsibilities that extend well beyond commercial performance.

Judicial independence, accuracy, fairness and public confidence must remain fundamental.

The real test won’t simply be whether technology can process information faster.

It will be whether it helps the justice system deliver better outcomes without compromising the principles on which justice depends.

That’s where Clio’s longstanding mission to Transform the Legal Experience for All becomes especially important.

7. What does all this mean for legal careers?

Putting my legal recruitment hat on, I was particularly interested in the report’s findings about people.

50% of legal professionals using AI say it positively influences their desire to remain at their current firm, up from 36% in 2025.

Meanwhile, 68% report less tedious work and 73% report improvements in work quality.

The research also found limited evidence of widespread AI-related workforce reductions among the surveyed firms.

That’s encouraging.

But it doesn’t mean the legal career model can remain unchanged.

If AI increasingly handles routine research, drafting and document review, how will junior lawyers develop the judgement traditionally acquired through those tasks?

How should law firms train the next generation?

And which skills will become more valuable as technology takes on more of the work?

I believe commercial awareness, communication, critical thinking, supervision and the ability to apply legal judgement will become increasingly important.

The challenge isn’t simply preparing lawyers to work WITH AI. It’s ensuring they continue developing the expertise that makes them valuable BEYOND AI.

For law firm leaders, technology strategy and talent strategy can no longer be treated as entirely separate conversations.

8. The real winners will focus on outcomes, not announcements

One of the things I’ve always appreciated about ClioCon is its emphasis on the people behind legal innovation.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Reisman Awards, celebrating law firms making a meaningful difference through innovation, growth, client service and community impact.

It’s particularly encouraging to see UK-based Pro Legal Group Limited recognised as the 2026 Legal Innovation winner for Pro Legal Flow.

That’s a reminder that meaningful progress doesn’t have to begin with a global technology giant.

It can begin with a legal business recognising a problem, challenging the established approach and creating a better way of working.

And that’s perhaps the most important lesson for every managing partner reading this.

You don’t need to rebuild your entire firm overnight.

But you do need to understand where the greatest opportunities and inefficiencies exist.

Start by examining how quickly prospective clients receive a response.

Look at where information gets lost between systems.

Understand the true cost of delivering legal work and how technology affects profitability.

Ask whether your people have the training and support to use AI confidently, responsibly and effectively.

And above all, measure what actually improves for your clients.

Because buying technology isn’t the same as building a better law firm.

The bigger picture: The future of law is a business transformation story

Clio has now announced that ClioCon 2027 will take place in Seattle on 7–8 October under the theme Boundless.