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Introduction
The delivery of legal services is rapidly changing, partly driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). AI is giving law firms new opportunities to deliver services in a more efficient and cost-effective way. Michelmores Innovation and Technology Programme (MINT) is the firm’s strategic response to the changing legal landscape. Its focus is on the purposeful adoption of technology and continuous improvement in the ways we work to ensure that we continue to deliver excellent client service whilst preserving our people-first and relationship-led approach.
During my second seat in my training contract, I undertook a split role. Three days a week, I worked in the Transactional Real Estate team, with the remainder of my time spent on secondment to MINT. This provided a unique opportunity to combine fee-earning legal work with innovation and process improvement initiatives across the firm.
MINT
During my time in MINT, I examined the workflows and processes that underpin our firm’s legal services. The projects I worked on ranged from reviewing and mapping our directories submission processes to identifying opportunities to reduce non-chargeable time spent on repeatable administrative tasks. These projects were all aimed at helping teams work more efficiently and consistently while maintaining our high standards of client service and our relationship-led approach.
I also supported the firm’s AI training programme, which focuses on ensuring colleagues use AI safely and purposefully. This included developing guidance on effective prompting and reviewing AI system instructions to improve the quality and efficiency of AI-generated outputs.
One of the most valuable aspects of a split seat is the opportunity to see how innovation and legal practice complement one another. The skills developed through MINT, such as process improvement, project management and the effective use of technology, can be applied directly to legal client work. Whether supporting large-scale transactions, managing significant volumes of documentation or helping teams work more efficiently, these skills provide practical benefits that enhance both client service and the trainee experience. The combination of fee-earning work and innovation exposure offers a broad perspective on how legal services are delivered and how the profession continues to evolve.
My key recommendations for using AI in the legal industry
Use a structured prompting framework such as GCSE (Goal, Context, Source, Expectations) to improve the quality of generative AI outputs.
Understand that AI can be overly positive and prone to agreement bias, and therefore use neutral, non-leading prompts.
Treat AI outputs with scepticism. Never rely on an output without reviewing the source material and remember that you remain responsible for the final work product.
As the MINT strategy continues to develop, current and future trainees at Michelmores will continue to have opportunities to contribute to MINT through becoming MINT Guild members and may also apply to complete a MINT secondment during their training contract. If you have any questions about MINT or training at Michelmores, please do get in touch.