The Legora ROI report
Ari Kaplan, a leading legal industry analyst, partnered with Legora to conduct a comprehensive qualitative survey on AI's impact on law firms. Over three months, he interviewed 31 firms — spanning AmLaw, Magic Circle and top international practices — dug into their numbers, and asked hard questions about what changed. This is what he found.
The legal industry is undergoing its most significant transformation in a generation. Firms that leaned into AI early are now seeing tangible returns, making measurement a strategic priority, not just an operational one. Developing a methodology to gauge returns has become imperative. This report puts a credible framework around what leading firms are already seeing, and what others can reasonably expect.
Why did we do this research? And why now?
Every firm is asking the same question: what are others doing with AI, and what does success actually look like? In a risk-sensitive industry, real results matter more than compelling visions. This project came from a shared belief between Ari and the Legora team, that transparency about AI's actual impact will move the industry forward.
Who did we interview?
31 law firms across Australia, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, India, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Every participant was directly responsible for technology adoption at their firm — Partners, CIOs, and Heads of Innovation.
How was the interview structured?
In-depth telephone conversations of 30–60 minutes, covering 60 questions.
Types of roles
No. of lawyers
Regions
Key finding 1
Every firm in the study reported productivity gains, and each one could share concrete examples: acquisition reviews that compressed from months to days, due diligence that moved from weeks to hours, class actions that would have required a team of paralegals completed by a fraction of the people in a fraction of the time.
But saved time only creates value if it's redirected. The firms seeing the strongest results are converting time savings into more billable work, fewer write-downs, and engagements they previously would have turned away. Some are scoping matters more tightly. Others are quoting fixed fees with a confidence that wasn't possible before. And some are simply saying yes to work they would have had to decline.
respond faster to clients and stakeholders
Survey Q15:
"Q15. On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, has Legora changed how quickly you can respond to clients or internal stakeholders?"
94% respondents answered much faster or faster
reported that Legora has reduced non-billable hours
Survey Q15:
"Q15. On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, has Legora changed how quickly you can respond to clients or internal stakeholders?"
94% respondents answered much faster or faster
average non-billable hours saved weekly per lawyer
Survey Q15:
"Q15. On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, has Legora changed how quickly you can respond to clients or internal stakeholders?"
94% respondents answered much faster or faster
potential additional yearly billing per 100 lawyers
In addition to correlating productivity gains with revenue increases, 42% of participants also reported that Legora has helped them win new work. “It increases the number of matters we can take, it makes us more competitive on pricing, and some clients are more likely to work with us because of our sophisticated use of AI with Legora,” noted a respondent. “The firm includes Legora in its pitches for new work,” said another. “We have had examples where we revealed the use of Legora and the client agreed with the approach supplemented by generative AI,” indicated a third.
Partner, AMLAW 100
Calculate the estimated impact of Legora on revenue
Every hour saved on non-billable work is an hour that can be billed. Use this calculator to estimate the revenue impact Legora could unlock for your firm. Enter your lawyer headcount, hourly rate, and currency to get started.
Disclaimer: Results are general estimates for internal discussion only. Any pricing shown is illustrative.
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Key finding 2
Beyond time and practice development, there was a meaningful discussion about the quality of work. Lawyers using Legora aren't just working faster — they're working with greater confidence. Legora identifies issues they otherwise would have missed, surfaces angles that weren't on the radar, and allows lawyers to double-check their work in ways that were previously not possible. As one participant put it: "If you have an extra seatbelt, why not wear it?"
That confidence has a compounding effect. It shows up in how lawyers approach complex matters, in how firms pitch for new work, and in how clients experience the relationship. A firm that feels more thorough, more capable, and more attuned to client needs is a firm that wins. Quality improvements don't stay internal for long.
report that Legora identifies issues they otherwise would have missed.
Performance
65% reported that Legora offers a significant boost in performance to high-performing professionals
Quality impact
42% say Legora's impact on improving quality, issue-spotting, or reducing mistakes is large or transformational.
Confidence
61% reported being more confident in the quality of their work when supplementing it with Legora.
Innovation Leader, AMLAW 100 firm
Key finding 3
The immediate gains in productivity and quality are real. But the deeper shifts take time to surface. As Legora becomes embedded in daily workflows, firms are beginning to consolidate their tools, expand their knowledge management programs, and build the internal infrastructure to use AI effectively at scale.
Once lawyers get used to Legora and build muscle memory, it becomes the tool they reach out to first. “We are questioning half the tools in our tool set, not just because of what we have, but what we expect to see,” said a respondent.
say that Legora is having a large or transformational impact on the firm's ability to build internal skills, habits or infrastructure.
Survey Q15:
"Q15. On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, has Legora changed how quickly you can respond to clients or internal stakeholders?"
94% respondents answered much faster or faster
say that Legora has replaced or reduced the need for other tools or processes.
Survey Q15:
"Q15. On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, has Legora changed how quickly you can respond to clients or internal stakeholders?"
94% respondents answered much faster or faster
think Legora sets them apart from competing firms on matters they work on.
Survey Q15:
"Q15. On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, has Legora changed how quickly you can respond to clients or internal stakeholders?"
94% respondents answered much faster or faster
think Legora has made it easier to deliver or price alternative fee arrangements, such as fixed‑fee or capped‑fee work.
Digital Transformation Leader, Commercial Law Firm
“If you are choosing a legal AI solution, Legora should be the foundation of your tech stack.”
Despite the rapid growth and adoption of AI tools, respondents remain realistic. These are still the early days of the AI revolution in legal — habits take time to form, metrics take time to mature, and the full value of Legora is still being uncovered.
But the signals are unmistakable: productivity gains are real, quality is improving, and client relationships are stronger. The firms seeing the greatest returns aren't the ones waiting for a perfect ROI formula, they're the ones building new ways of working now, one use case at a time. For them, Legora isn't a bet on the future. It's how they work today.