The Microsoft ANZ legal head highlights the importance of "a culture of experimentation"
Earlier this week, Microsoft ANZ legal head Clayton Noble shared to NZ Lawyer how he went from litigation to tech law, as well as his perspective on how lawyers in Australia and New Zealand are responding to new tech. In the second part of this interview, he describes the AI journeys of some law firms, and discloses what he considers to be the most critical thing when it comes to building trust and ensuring successful AI adoption.
There are so many exciting things going on across the organisation. We’re focused on supporting more workers to do more of the things that give them personal satisfaction in their working lives, rather than the daily chores they have to do, through developing AI tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot. Lawyers today live in programs like Outlook, Word, and Teams, juggling a range of tasks, from client interactions to regulatory compliance. While lawyers are often proficient at using these tools, tasks like preparing PowerPoint presentations or summarizing large volumes of documents can consume precious time.
We recently published a guide, Generative AI for Lawyers, that shows how Microsoft 365 Copilot can streamline those tasks by meeting lawyers in the computer applications where they work every day —empowering them to focus more on strategic, high-value activities. Consider my own Microsoft Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) team, comprising over 2,000 professionals in 55 countries. By incorporating M365 Copilot, we achieved productivity gains of up to 32% and increased task accuracy by 20%.
To truly transform, I believe the legal profession should focus on embracing AI tools to automate routine tasks, freeing lawyers to concentrate on those high-value activities like strategic problem-solving and client advice. A culture of experimentation and gradual implementation of AI, while prioritising data security and privacy compliance, is the most critical thing when it comes to building trust and ensuring successful adoption.
For example, leading New Zealand law firm Simpson Grierson started its AI journey with a discovery workshop facilitated by Microsoft partner CCL, exploring M365 Copilot's safety features, ensuring data protection, and understanding its enterprise-grade privacy and security compliance. After that groundwork, Simpson Grierson began rolling M365 Copilot out to early adopters, focusing on the potential productivity benefits without rushing a full rollout.
The firm’s early adopters found AI invaluable for automating routine tasks like formatting documents or extracting information—indicating a clear path forward for larger-scale implementation.
In the words of Tara Wylie, a real estate partner specialising in foreign investment and the energy and agribusiness sectors: “We constantly need to turn around pieces of work on tight deadlines, and AI can make that process much smoother. With Microsoft 365 Copilot we can spend more of that time delivering value for clients, while getting AI’s assistance on things like shifting a document from Word to PowerPoint. That allows us to dedicate our time to the problem-solving and deep thinking that is most engaging about our work.”
To really make this future a reality, firms need to actively engage with AI, understand its strengths and weaknesses, and when it comes to implementation, do it incrementally but with a strategic lens.
