How Legal Teams Are Really Using AI in 2026: Broadfield Hong Kong Managing Partner Featured in IHC Magazine

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Having spent time in a large law firm and now building your own practice, how do you see AI changing the way law firms compete and deliver legal services? 

AI is fundamentally reshaping the competitive landscape for legal services by dismantling the traditional advantage represented by size and scale. Large traditional firms once relied on infrastructure and headcount to drive competitive advantage, but increasingly clients are looking for smarter solutions that are technology enabled that offer value by streamlining cost and overhead. AI enables boutique and mid-size practices to deliver with the same (and greater) speed, precision, and cost efficiency than traditional law firm models. Clients increasingly expect certainty in pricing, higher responsiveness in delivery, and value that reflects modern technology rather than bloated overhead due to inefficient and outdated systems. Broadfield’s AI-driven modern platform allows us to streamline workflows, dramatically reduce operating costs, and pass those savings directly to clients—transforming EV client expectations of what a law firm can be in terms of agility and affordability. We had our busiest year in over a decade during our first year of operation because our clients immediately recognized and embraced the value proposition that our operationally and technologically advanced systems can provide.

"Broadfield’s AI-driven modern platform allows us to streamline workflows, dramatically reduce operating costs, and pass those savings directly to clients—transforming client expectations of what a law firm can be in terms of agility and affordability."

Effie Vasilopoulos

Managing Partner

What advice would you give law firm leaders and General Counsel as they prepare for the next phase of AI adoption over the next 2-3 years? What should they be prioritizing today, and what do you think the market is still underestimating?

Law firm leaders and General Counsel should view the next phase of AI adoption not as a technical upgrade but as a strategic reorientation. The priority today should be about building lean, adaptive infrastructures that allow AI to integrate seamlessly into workflows, rather than bolting it onto legacy systems that are no longer fit for purpose. The market still underestimates how quickly client expectations are shifting—toward guaranteed pricing, real-time responsiveness, and demonstrable efficiency and value. The next two to three years will demand that law firm leaders and General Counsel move beyond experimentation and embed AI into the fabric of their operations. This will require the redesign of processes and governance so AI can continue to deliver consistent, scalable value.

Those who rely on outdated, inefficient legacy infrastructure and pricing structures will continue to struggle. The firms that thrive will be those that take a holistic view of what the client wants and values and are prepared to overhaul outdated operational architecture. This will require an investment in data integrity, certainty over pricing, greater efficiency and embracing AI as a driver of transparency and trust.

As AI adoption accelerates across legal teams and law firms, what risks or unintended consequences do you think the profession may be underestimating?

As AI adoption accelerates, the legal profession risks underestimating structural, ethical and cultural consequences. One danger is overreliance on AI outputs without sufficient human judgment, which can dramatically erode trust if errors occur. There have been several high-profile examples of this over the last few months. Another risk is the widening gap between firms that modernize and extend considerable cost savings, and those burdened by outdated legacy systems that continue to pass on bloated overhead to clients. Data governance and confidentiality also remain underestimated risks—clients expect flawless stewardship of sensitive information. Finally, there is a cultural risk: those firms that fail to extend state of art training in the use of AI and newer technologies relevant to practice risk finding talent increasingly disengaged.

As a law firm Managing Partner in Hong, how are you seeing AI influence client expectations of external counsel?

In Hong Kong and across international markets, AI is reshaping the client expectations of external counsel in profound ways. Clients increasingly demand certainty in pricing, faster turnaround, and measurable efficiency. They no longer see technology as a “bonus”, but as a baseline requirement for the delivery of our legal services. AI has enabled us to meet these expectations by significantly streamlining our operational processes, dramatically reducing overhead, and providing a high quality service at a reasonable, efficient and certain cost. What clients value most is not just speed, but transparency and predictability—these are all qualities that AI has allowed us to embed in our operations and every aspect of service delivery. It has been astounding to recognize the speed at which changing client expectations have reshaped the profession over the last two years alone. The significant market share we have gained would not have been possible without embracing a new operating model and technology architecture.

Read the full piece in IHC Magazine here.