At LawFest 2025, Lisa Jacobs, CEO of Anthony Harper, participated in an engaging panel discussion titled "Working Differently." The session featured a group of legal innovators who shared their experiences and insights on transforming business models and practices through new work styles and technology.

Lisa highlighted a turning point in the legal industry, comparing the impact of GenAI for lawyers to what Excel was for accountants and CAD software for engineers. She noted that just as these tools transformed their respective fields by replacing manual tasks, GenAI is pushing the legal profession to adapt and move up the value curve. This shift requires rethinking how legal services are provided, how graduate lawyers are trained, and how value is added to clients' businesses.

To navigate this transformation, Lisa emphasised the need for active involvement: trialling new tools, identifying use cases, training personnel, and creating environments with guardrails that encourage experimentation with GenAI. By doing so, the legal industry can prepare for a future where technology significantly enhances the profession.

Adoption of legal tech

Lisa referred to Anthony Harper's partnership with vLex and how it is in the process of testing and integrating its GenAI tool, Vincent AI, across the firm. Selected for its expertise, user-friendliness, compliance standards and its practice-specific solutions that transform traditional legal research and administrative tasks, Vincent AI allows the firm to continue enhancing its services through the adoption of legal tech.

She also highlighted two innovative service lines at Anthony Harper that use legal tech, Villageinfonet SaaS and the Discovery Specialists, which also exemplify the firm's commitment to leveraging technology to enhance legal services.

• Originally a bespoke piece of software used internally for retirement village settlements, Villageinfonet now has a SaaS version, which in-house retirement village operators can use to streamline information sharing and collaboration.
• The Discovery Specialists combines technology and human review to effectively reduce the number of documents within the discovery process, enabling more efficient and accurate handling of complex legal matters.

Lisa said that technological advancements not only free up junior lawyers from routine tasks but also enable them to focus on higher-value activities, accelerating their professional growth. This integration of technology into legal practice is a game-changer, paving the way for a more agile, efficient, and client-focused legal profession.

Transforming the training and development of junior lawyers

Lisa pointed out a significant trend that the legal profession needs to be aware of: the transformation in training new lawyers. Traditionally, junior lawyers have developed through an apprenticeship model – learning through legal education and repetitive tasks alongside senior lawyers. However, with technology now handling many routine tasks, it’s essential to find ways to accelerate the development of junior lawyers, allowing them to move into advisory roles more quickly. This shift may involve changes in legal education and training methods within law firms.

Rethinking the billable hour

Another critical area of innovation discussed was the traditional billable hour model. With the advent of technology and changing client expectations, there's a growing shift towards more flexible and result-oriented billing methods. Lisa Jacobs highlighted that there is a need for law firms to adapt by offering alternative fee arrangements such as fixed fees, success fees, and subscription services. This client-centric approach not only aligns legal services with client needs but also encourages efficiency and better outcomes.

Reflections from LawFest

Following the conference, Lisa reflected on the wealth of knowledge shared during the panel and emphasised the importance of embracing technological advancements, flexible work models, and innovative billing methods, and that the key to staying ahead in the legal field lies in continuous adaptation and a client-centric approach. We can look forward to a future where the legal profession becomes more agile, efficient, and tailored to meet the evolving needs of clients and practitioners alike.

Thank you to LawFest for organising an informative session. Special thanks to Ben Paul, CEO of The BD Ladder, for his moderation and to the panellists, Brianna Boxall (General Counsel at Te Ohu Kaimoana), Fionnghuala Cuncannon (Partner at Cuncannon) and Glen Cornelius (CEO of Duncan Cotterill) for providing valuable perspectives on the future of the legal profession.

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