A recent Above the Law column describes a new method for measuring the return on investment from artificial intelligence in legal practice. The method appears to offer a concrete way to assess whether AI tools are paying for themselves.
The column cautions, however, that measurement is not the end of the story. Once a firm knows how much value AI creates, it must decide who gets to keep that value—partners, associates, clients, or the firm itself. That question, the author suggests, may be more difficult than calculating the ROI.
For law firms, the implication is that adopting AI metrics may surface internal tensions about compensation and pricing. The column does not resolve those issues, but it frames them as an inevitable next step for any firm serious about tracking AI performance.