The AI revolution isn’t coming—it’s already here.
But for legal marketers and business leaders, the question isn’t just how to use AI. It’s how to use it responsibly, competitively, and credibly in a profession built on precision and trust.
At Passle’s CMO Series LIVE event, a standout panel of legal experts and CMOs explored how AI is reshaping marketing, service delivery, and even the business model of law itself. One thing was clear: the pressure is mounting—for firms to innovate, for associates to produce more with less, and for marketers to lead a narrative that’s both bold and believable.
From Productivity to Possibility
Darth Vaughn, associate general counsel of Ford Motor Company, offered a compelling timeline. In 2018 and 2019, AI wasn’t well-suited for legal language. By 2023, that changed—and quickly. Vaughn described how AI-powered tools became a “super assistant” sitting beside legal professionals, drastically increasing productivity and enabling the legal team to reevaluate what should be done in-house, outsourced, or automated entirely.
The value proposition of legal services is shifting. High-effort, low-value tasks like billing reviews or early discovery are increasingly difficult to justify. Vaughn pointed out that this shift unlocks enormous opportunity: with 92% of the legal market still unmet, AI could radically expand access to legal services—transforming the economics of law from high-margin, low-volume to scalable, inclusive models.
The Trust Gap: Why Humans Get Grace and Machines Don’t
An important tension discussed during the session was around trust. One panelist observed, “We forgive ourselves, we don’t forgive the machine.” It was a striking reminder that even as AI makes us faster, better, and more efficient, our expectations of it are often impossibly high.
This double standard presents a challenge for CMOs: how do you position AI-driven services in a way that inspires confidence, without overpromising perfection? Clients still expect human judgment, but they’re also adopting tools faster than many firms. The narrative has to evolve—from “AI will replace lawyers” to “AI will empower lawyers—and clients—to make better decisions.”
Guardrails, Not Gatekeeping
That gap in trust also highlights a practical problem: associates under pressure to produce are already using AI, often in unsanctioned ways, on public platforms that pose confidentiality risks. Instead of ignoring or restricting this reality, legal leaders must equip teams with the right tools inside a secure environment. The priority isn’t just compliance—it’s capability.
Building a culture of AI fluency across the firm—especially in marketing and business development—is critical. It’s not enough to know what the tools are; teams need to know how to use them, when to trust them, and where human oversight is essential.
Reinventing the Legal Business Model
Bridget McCormack, president and CEO of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), shared how even 100-year-old institutions are evolving. AAA is developing AI-driven dispute resolution platforms, based on feedback from arbitrators who tested point solutions in real-world scenarios.
Her insight? In-house teams are far ahead of firms and arbitrators in AI adoption—and that makes the GC’s office a powerful driver of business change.
Jen Leonard, founder of Creative Lawyers, built on that point, noting that small and mid-sized firms now have a level playing field. “There’s no ceiling anymore,” she said. “AI is the most democratized technology of our lifetime.” For firms that embrace it, AI offers a chance to scale without massive headcount—and to meet clients where they already are.
What Law FirmCMOs Need to Watch
Jim Metzger, CFO of Reed Smith, noted that AI is now a constant in client conversations—from internal efficiencies to new offerings, pricing models, and growth strategies. For CMOs, the implications go far beyond marketing campaigns. AI is a lever for business development, market differentiation, and top-line revenue growth.
But success hinges on clear strategy. “You need that center of gravity to figure out the why before you can answer the how,” Leonard emphasized. CMOs must guide their firms through that strategic reflection—so their AI messaging is more than reactive hype. It must be relevant, intentional, and aligned with what clients actually value.
Law firm CMOs are not just telling the story of their firm’s AI journey—they’re helping shape the journey itself. That means balancing optimism with realism, innovation with guardrails, and speed with substance.
The firms that lead in this AI moment won’t be the ones who chase headlines. They’ll be the ones who combine curiosity, compliance, and creativity to meet a fast-changing market—on the front foot.