The takeaway for small firms? You don’t have to go all in overnight. But if you want to stay competitive in today’s legal landscape, ignoring AI isn’t an option.
According to Smokeball’s 2025 State of Law report, AI adoption among solo and small legal firms has doubled in the past year, surging from 27% to 53%. And it’s not just about keeping up with tech trends. These firms are turning to AI to solve real problems like overwhelming workloads, rising client expectations and the daily grind of administrative tasks.
For many law firms with 30 people or fewer, the appeal of AI is clear. It frees attorneys from time-draining paperwork, allowing them to focus more on strategy, client service and higher-value work. But as more firms jump into AI, a key theme is emerging: Efficiency alone isn’t the win. Success depends on how lawyers implement AI.
According to the Smokeball survey, firms are using AI to tackle the most time-consuming parts of legal work, such as research, document creation, eDiscovery and time tracking. Firms report meaningful improvements in billable hours, client responsiveness and overall workflow.
Take Rockwell & Kaufman, a civil litigation firm profiled in the Smokeball report. Their adoption of an AI assistant helped eliminate repetitive tasks, capture more billable time and grow their caseload without growing their team. It’s a prime example of what strategic automation can unlock when it’s done right.
Attorneys are increasingly optimistic about how AI can lighten the demands of legal work. Nearly 80% of surveyed attorneys expect AI to significantly impact legal research over the next five years, with document drafting and eDiscovery as the next two most popular answers. Many view these tools as a welcome relief, giving them a faster, more efficient way to manage the most time-consuming parts of their practice. The ability to reclaim critical hours without hiring additional staff is a major advantage in staying competitive and serving clients at a higher level.
This growing enthusiasm reflects attorneys’ shifting mindset toward AI, evolving from early skepticism to genuine curiosity and openness. The Smokeball survey found familiarity with AI tools has grown to 80%, and most attorneys (69%) said they’re willing to invest the time to learn them. Concerns around job displacement, once widespread, are fading. Lawyers now largely see AI as an assistant — not a threat.
Client expectations are also shifting, as clients increasingly want their legal counsel to use the most efficient tools available. In their eyes, the use of AI is part of delivering modern legal service.
But even as confidence grows, hesitation hasn’t disappeared entirely. About 25% of attorneys still oppose any use of AI in legal work. Perhaps it’s not a surprise that resistance skews older, with Boomers expressing the most skepticism.
Ethical concerns are another sticking point. Over half of legal professionals surveyed worry about issues like bias, transparency and client confidentiality. And the legal world hasn’t forgotten that 2023 case where a lawyer submitted a ChatGPT-drafted brief filled with fictitious citations. Automation is powerful, but it needs supervision.
It’s not enough to add AI into your tech stack and hope for the best. Tools need to be integrated with purpose and people in mind, keeping the human touch at the center of AI-enabled practice. While machines can draft, sort and summarize, they can’t weigh consequences or exercise ethical judgment. That’s still a lawyer’s job.
The most successful firms are taking a measured approach. Following are a few suggestions for getting started:
- Start with a single pain point, such as automating billing or document generation.
- Assign an internal “tech champion” to test new tools and train colleagues.
- Track results and expand gradually.
This slow-build strategy is practical and sustainable. It gives teams time to adapt and avoids overwhelming staff already stretched thin.
Smokeball’s report doesn’t just highlight what’s changing — it points to what’s working. Yes, AI adoption is accelerating. But the real story is how law firms are using it to improve the way they work, serve clients and scale sustainably.
The takeaway for small firms? You don’t have to go all in overnight. But if you want to stay competitive in today’s legal landscape, ignoring AI isn’t an option.
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