Alex Fortescue-Webb, head of UK and Ireland and global head of legal engineering at Legora, speaks to Briefing editor Andreea Dulgheru about how AI-powered platforms like Legora Portal can deliver the collaboration piece and greater value clients are demanding, and open new business avenues for law firms.
For years, law firms have been embedding and experimenting with AI in the hunt for greater efficiency and productivity — and they’re certainly not the only ones to do so. According to a 2025 survey by FTI Consulting, 44% of in-house legal departments report using genAI (a sharp increase from 28% in 2024) for a variety of tasks, including document drafting and contract reviews, a fact echoed by several GCs at Briefing’s inaugural AI Leaders conference last year.
As in-house lawyers reap the benefits of AI, they expect to see the same from the law firms they work with, notes Alex Fortescue-Webb, head of UK and Ireland and global head of legal engineering at Legora. “Law firms have made big splashes about adopting AI over the years, so in-house legal teams want to see them use these tools to deliver real benefits to them.”
While client demand is certainly a powerful force driving this direction of travel, it is not the only compelling reason for adopting AI, he says. “This technology has now completely transformed the way legal work can be done, enabling lawyers to complete different tasks with greater efficiency than before and focus their time on more valuable work. There are very clear benefits that can no longer be ignored.” As such, traditional manual-heavy processes are no longer suitable, and firms must adapt for the modern way of working to stay competitive.
Alex Fortescue-Webb, head of UK and Ireland and global head of legal engineering at Legora
This article originally appeared in Briefing. Read the complete article here.
