In this second TalkingTech podcast with Acuity Law, the focus shifts from the implementation of Thomson Reuters CoCounsel, to future use cases, integrations, and what AI could mean for ROI, pricing and competitive positioning.
Legal IT Insider’s editor Caroline Hill again spoke with Claire Cooper, transformation lead and solicitor at Acuity Law, who helped to lead the rollout.
HighQ integration
Cooper explains that Acuity is midway through a structured testing programme of the CoCounsel Core and HighQ integration, which enables users to analyse, summarise and draft documents directly in HighQ. The integration was announced in October last year starting in the US, meaning that the testing programme initially began with US documents. Acuity has developed a detailed scorecard examining accuracy, conciseness and workflow usability. The firm in phase two is testing using its own documents to meaningfully compare ROI, usability and impact across both platforms.
In terms of use cases, the firm is mapping AI use cases against M&A transactions, particularly the initial due diligence questionnaire. HighQ’s ability to analyse data room uploads, flag missing information and run document analysis at the very first stage of a matter represents a critical efficiency gain, especially for teams handling high document volumes or fixed‑fee work.
Westlaw Integrations
Cooper reveals that Westlaw Edge with CoCounsel is gaining rapid traction among fee earners. Acuity ran a sprint‑based test across litigation teams and the response has been extremely positive, with Cooper light heartedly remarking that lawyers have been lobbying leadership to secure the upgraded version. “There’s no higher validation for a piece of technology than when the fee earners go out of their way to say, ‘we want this,’” she said.
The associated scorecard focused on factors such as ease of use, accuracy, and time savings.
ROI: The iceberg above and below the surface
Interestingly, Acuity is beginning to measure ROI, including “shadow time savings’ – the harder‑to‑quantify benefits such as time saved that is often written off.
Cooper says: “The knowledge scorecard is trying to get a sense of where you were and where you are post AI.” That might include time savings made because you have the information you need more quickly or no longer have to speak to a partner at the outset of a task.
Although ROI calculations are underway, Cooper stresses that time‑saving is only the surface layer, with deeper value emerging in day‑to‑day legal work. Faster internal checking processes, improved client responsiveness and greater lawyer confidence are all part of the picture.
Pricing and pitching
Looking ahead, Acuity is now exploring how these technologies reshape pricing and pitching conversations. As a mid‑tier firm, improved efficiency and capability effectively expands its “bench”, enabling it to compete more confidently with larger firms in areas where depth of resource traditionally matters.
A continuing journey
While the firm is still early in its AI journey, Cooper emphasises that the combination of agility, user‑centred testing and open‑minded evaluation is already delivering “significant value” across multiple teams. As ever, the technology is only part of the story. The real work lies in understanding impact, managing change and moving at a pace that brings people with you.
This concise but insightful episode offers a practical, honest look at how a law firm can successfully embed AI‑powered tools by pairing agility with empathy for time‑pressed fee earners — and why internal culture is just as critical as the technology itself.
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You can listen to the full episode below:
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