The #1 AI Deposition Summary Tool in Today’s Legal Market
Winning Over the War Room: Getting Litigation Partners to Embrace AI
Let’s be honest: lawyers are not exactly known for our eagerness to embrace new technology.
Sure, we all enjoy creating fancy exhibits for trial or scrolling through Lexis and Westlaw research results to find the perfect case, but once you mention “AI,” the conversation can get dicey—especially when you’re talking to senior partners who have built their careers on methods that work just fine.
As an associate, paralegal, or even a forward-thinking junior partner, you might already see how generative AI is poised to transform everything from deposition analysis to case strategy. But getting buy-in from your firm’s leadership isn’t always straightforward. Lawyers are trained to be skeptical (that’s what we do for a living, after all), and high-profile misfires—like the infamous fake citations by ChatGPT—certainly haven’t helped calm the waters.
This guide is designed to help you champion AI adoption from within. If you want to win over partners, mitigate concerns about billable hours, and ensure everyone is comfortable with the ethical and professional implications, keep reading.
Your Role as Internal Change Agent
Let’s start with a pep talk: you’re the internal change agent who sees technology as a competitive advantage for your firm, whether it has 10 attorneys or 250. If you’re the one who stumbled upon a solution that churns out deposition summaries at lightning speed and with impressive accuracy, you’re probably itching to shout it from the rooftop.
But remember, lawyers—especially trial lawyers—are busy. They’ve got a million deadlines, from finalizing pretrial motions to prepping for cross-examination. So, if you’re going to convince them to do something new, it has to be worth their time. You need a tactical game plan to cut through the noise and address their concerns directly.
Understand the Skepticism
Before you march into the partner’s office or the next partner meeting armed with colorful charts and a triumphant pitch, pause for a moment and put yourself in their shoes. Why might a partner, who’s been practicing for 30 years, hesitate to adopt a generative AI platform?
Fear of Ethical Blunders The phrase “AI hallucinations” (where an AI tool makes stuff up) will make any seasoned litigator cringe. Nobody wants to cite a fictitious case or rely on an incorrect statement in a high-stakes motion or trial.
Disruption of the Billable Hour Many firms still base revenue on hours billed. If an AI tool helps your team produce top-notch work in significantly less time, there’s a fear it might negatively affect the bottom line.
Technological Overload Senior attorneys may remember moving from typewriters to word processors—it was huge. Then came digital research tools, electronic filing, e-discovery software . . . and now generative AI? It can feel like too much, too fast.
Trust Issues Lawyers learn to trust their own expertise, judgment, and tried-and-true workflows. Trusting a piece of software to parse and analyze testimony can feel like handing the office keys to a stranger.
Understanding these concerns is half the battle. If you can speak to them with empathy—and data—you’ll be far more successful in your efforts.
3-4 times faster deposition summaries and digests compared to old-fashioned methods.
Accurate and detailed analysis that doesn’t require hours of cut/paste or manual notetaking.
Enhanced job satisfaction of users who accomplish a tedious and time-consuming job in record time.
Increased client satisfaction as they see a modern, efficient law firm at work with fewer hours devoted to time-consuming tasks and enhanced strategic work.
One mid-sized law firm recently saved over 800 hours analyzing 150 depositions across multiple cases using esumry. That’s a lot of hours. More importantly, they channeled the time saved into strategic insights—developing themes for trial, prepping witnesses, polishing opening statements, and refining cross-examination strategies. While the raw billable hours might have dipped, the value provided to clients and the quality of the legal work rose.
Additionally, AI-assisted review often improves accuracy by identifying subtle inconsistencies or potential impeachment points that human reviewers, fatigued by reviewing 2,000 pages of testimony, might overlook.
Start Small with the Perfect Pilot Project
You don’t need to convert the entire firm overnight. In fact, the best approach is often a small, controlled experiment—like a single matter with moderate complexity or a discrete project that can clearly show the benefits of AI-driven efficiencies.
First, pick a willing team. Warning: it probably won’t be the gray-haired partner. Identify an open-minded partner or two within your litigation department to test the AI tool.
Next, set clear goals. Maybe you want to shave 50% off the time spent on deposition analysis, or you want to catch a higher percentage of contradictory statements across multiple depositions. Define a metric of success so you’ll know if you achieved it.
Then document your wins. Track hours saved, mistakes caught, improved workflow, or whatever else makes sense as a metric. Don’t forget the all-important user satisfaction that may result from generative AI. That data will be your golden ticket when you present to a broader audience in the firm.
A small victory gives you proof-of-concept that resonates more than any vendor brochure ever could.
Be Prepared for Objections
It’s crucial to show partners that you’ve thought about the ethical and professional ramifications. The last thing any litigator wants is to be sanctioned or end up in a disciplinary hearing for citing a non-existent case.
Quality Assurance Measures Make sure any tools you recommend include a human-in-the-loop to review outputs. A legal professional remains responsible for reviewing, verifying, and signing off on all drafted materials—especially anything filed in court. This will reassure skeptics that AI output is never just “set and forget.”
Data Privacy and Confidentiality Verify that the AI solution meets data security standards, including encryption,access controls, and zero data retention protections to ensure confidential information stays protected. Above all, make sure that whatever solution you are recommending does not use any user-submitted data to train their language models. Confidentiality is critical to success and if you can establish that, it will put you in the driver’s seat.
Compliance with Bar Requirements Many states are updating rules on technological competence in the use of AI.The ABA issued an ethics opinion pointing out that soon it may become necessary to use generative AI tools to provide competent representation. Embrace this to show how the firm’s forward-looking approach for utilizing AI is perfectly aligned with evolving professional norms.
By tackling these issues head-on, you position yourself as not just a tech enthusiast, but a cautious steward for the firm’s professional obligations.
Build Internal Alliances
No one can do this alone—particularly in larger firms. You’ll need allies at different levels.
Associates and paralegals are often more familiar with new tech and keen to test anything that reduces tedious tasks. Their hands-on experiences and positive feedback can carry weight when shared with senior colleagues.
Identify one or two tech-savvy partners (maybe they already rave about e-discovery tools or love analytics for jury selection) who are open to “innovative” ideas. Seek their advice and recruit them as co-presenters or co-pilots.
Finally, if you can show how AI adoption leads to better client satisfaction scores or new business, you’re far more likely to get support from group leaders.
Encourage your allies to share their positive experiences in informal chats, at team meetings, or over lunch. Their voices can help normalize the conversation and reduce the sense of “us vs. them” that sometimes arises around new tech.
Presenting Your Case
When it’s time to present to the executive committee or a group of senior partners, approach it like you would a closing argument: be direct, persuasive, and well-documented.
Lead with Value Emphasize the accuracy boost and enhanced strategic insights. Talk about how the freed-up hours can be reinvested in higher-value activities: preparing for cross-examination, drafting persuasive motions, or brainstorming trial themes.
Show the Numbers Bring that pilot project data or case studies from other firms to prove the ROI. If you can say, “We saved 80 hours in a single discovery phase,” you’re guaranteed to get some attention.
Highlight Client Satisfaction Clients like paying for outcomes, not rote tasks. Show that this approach will ultimately yield better results, help keep fees competitive, and make the firm more attractive to clients.
Risk Mitigation Plan Address concerns about accuracy by outlining specific policies or checklists for verifying AI outputs. Show that the firm remains in full control of final decisions and filings.
Close your pitch with a clear, actionable proposal: investing in more user licenses so the entire litigation department can benefit.
Sustaining Momentum
Adopting generative AI isn’t one-and-done. It’s an ongoing evolution in how litigators handle depositions, motions, and trials. Even after you secure initial buy-in, you’ll want to:
Measure results. Keep collecting data on time saved, accuracy improvements, and outcomes.
Celebrate wins. Share success stories internally—one department’s progress can inspire others to give it a try.
Solicit feedback. Ensure the system fits your preferred workflows. Sometimes minor adjustments—like integration with a preferred document management system—can make adoption smoother.
Remember, this is your opportunity to shape the future of your firm’s litigation practice. By balancing empathy for partners’ concerns with real-world data on ROI, ethical safeguards, and client satisfaction, you can become the champion who turned a skeptical group of lawyers into enthusiastic adopters of generative AI. And down the road, when you’re breezing through deposition analysis in half the time, you’ll be grateful you took the initiative.
Final Thoughts…
No two law firms are exactly alike, but nearly all share a competitive spirit. Over time, those that embrace generative AI—and do so thoughtfully—will find themselves delivering faster, more accurate, and more strategic work to their clients. In an industry where relationships and reputations matter, that’s a surefire way to stand out. You, the internal champion, hold the key to making it happen.
Try It Out!
We invite you to see firsthand how AI and automation can revolutionize your deposition analysis.
Get a 14-day free trial of esumry today and start transforming your litigation practice for the future.
