Several European law firms are advancing the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology-driven innovation into their legal services, demonstrating a reshaping of the industry’s approach to client delivery, training, and internal operations.

At Dentons, Břetislav Šimral, Europe innovation and intelligence director, has spearheaded the development and deployment of Daisy, an in-house generative AI platform launched in 2025. Since joining from EY in 2018, Šimral has overseen the platform’s modular design, enabling rapid addition of new functionalities such as client relationship management and billing automation. To facilitate firm-wide adoption, Dentons implemented mandatory training and established an “AI Pioneers” network. The firm reports significant growth in AI tool usage, with monthly interactions rising from 20,000 in mid-2025 to nearly 250,000 a year later. Šimral also promotes innovation through hackathons, leading to products like Legal Radar, which analyzes corporate risk and opportunity factors using diverse data sources.

Mishcon de Reya’s Mary Bonsor has focused on nurturing in-house legal talent and client relations through educational initiatives. As GC relationships director, she co-developed the GC Academy, a multi-module training program launched in 2025 that addresses financial literacy, leadership, and AI for general counsel and senior in-house lawyers. The program, involving firm partners and external experts, has attracted over 75 participants, enhancing client relationships and generating revenue. Bonsor’s background includes co-founding the staffing platform Flex Legal, acquired by Mishcon in 2023, which supports legal career development for underrepresented groups through initiatives such as Flex Trainee.

In Portugal, Carlos Coelho, partner and director of innovation and knowledge at Morais Leitão, has driven a comprehensive digital transformation since becoming the firm’s first non-lawyer partner. Coelho’s strategy centers on co-designing AI solutions with IT professionals to ensure economic viability, scalability, and repeatability. Morais Leitão’s ML One suite offers AI tools covering governance, litigation management, and regulatory tracking, serving prominent clients including a major Portuguese bank. Coelho initiated these changes after noting greater client interest in the firm’s technological offerings than in its traditional legal services.

Browne Jacobson’s head of resourcing and social mobility, Tom Lyas, reshaped the firm’s recruitment policies starting in 2016 by abolishing requirements for top academic credentials, a move aimed at expanding access to talented candidates from diverse backgrounds. His Faire program, launched in 2019, provides paid work experience with an emphasis on candidates from lower socio-economic groups. Lyas also developed an online careers resource hub and organizes events to promote social mobility best practices beyond the legal sector.

At Ashurst Perkins Coie, partner Jen McCormick has propelled the firm’s AI-driven legal delivery since joining in 2022, now leading the Advance digital division across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Under her direction, the team has delivered projects such as Project Catalyst for a large investment bank, automating regulatory obligation extraction and substantially reducing costs. McCormick encourages rethinking workflows and pricing to embed AI not just as a personal tool but as a core element of service delivery.

Freshfields’ partner Lukas Treichl, co-head of Freshfields Lab founded in 2019, has championed collaboration among lawyers, data scientists, and developers to create technology solutions aligned with client needs. The Lab’s 2024 collaboration with Volkswagen’s software developers produced a multi-jurisdictional regulatory chatbot. Internally, Freshfields launched a proprietary AI system in 2025 integrating multiple large language models to support due diligence, case management, and other tasks, while avoiding vendor lock-in. This expertise contributed to a partnership announced in April with U.S. AI company Anthropic to jointly develop legal AI tools.

Addleshaw Goddard’s innovation and legal technology director, Elliot White, has shaped a “buy and build” approach since 2021, balancing development of the firm’s own AI platform, AGPT, with adoption of third-party tools. His team benchmarks AI products to optimize client advice and enhance negotiations with technology vendors. White has also collaborated with finance leadership to implement transparent pricing for tech-enabled services such as rapid due diligence reviews. To address talent shortages, he initiated a graduate scheme within the innovation team, providing broad exposure across legal practice, delivery, product development, and consulting.

Collectively, these examples illustrate a concerted effort among leading European law firms to harness AI and technology not only to improve efficiency and client service but also to foster inclusivity and adaptation in a changing legal landscape.