This is Allens
David and Jaime on how AI is transforming the value equation
David Donnelly leads our Projects and Development practice, and is a member of the firm's Digital Transformation Steering Committee. Jaime McKenzie is a partner specialising in disputes and investigations.
David Donnelly
In projects and development, where complexity and scale are the norm, AI is starting to change how we deliver value.
If I think about what’s really changed in the last 12 months, it’s the way AI has moved from being a curiosity to something that’s reshaping how we work. As part of the complex projects work we do there is a necessary layer of manual process before we can get to the pointy end of creative problem solving. AI is starting to reduce these repetitive layers of process, and that’s a good thing. It means we're more focused on what clients come to us for which is sophisticated high-stakes work where judgement and insight matter most.
Take contract review for example. This is an important aspect of complex deals, but it's not the end game. This task can take days, but AI is seeing us complete it in hours. That shift really starts to change the value equation. If we can more quickly establish the foundations, we can spend more time on the parts that matter – judgement, insight and solving complex problems.
It’s not just about speed; it’s about freeing capacity to have the conversations that matter most. When you’re not buried in repetitive tasks, you can better focus on risk, strategy and helping clients feel confident and in control. That’s where the real differentiation lies.
It’s not just about speed; it’s about freeing capacity to have the conversations that matter most.
The impact on our junior lawyers is significant and, in my view, really positive. Prior to AI, we simply didn’t have as much time to deeply involve them in the sophisticated problem solving that makes this job interesting. AI creates those opportunities. When the routine work is powered by AI, juniors get to sit closer to the action – seeing how complex issues are navigated, contributing to solutions earlier and building judgement faster. That’s a win for them and for clients.
AI is no replacement for human judgement. In fact, it makes judgement more important. For me, that’s exciting. It’s a chance to do more of the work that really matters, reduce friction in relationships, and offer more insight, value and confidence to our clients.
Jaime McKenzie
In disputes and investigations, where precision and strategic insight are critical, AI is helping us work smarter and think more creatively.
AI in disputes isn’t about flashy tech – it’s about making the everyday work smarter, faster and more creative. It's helping with things like first drafts, research and establishing facts. I’m not handing over judgement to a machine, but I am shifting into 'edit mode' rather than 'creation mode' – and that’s a more free-flowing way to work.
For decades, we’ve invested in AI tools for managing large data sets in disputes – continuous active learning, predictive coding, clustering by concept. That's made a huge difference in how efficiently and accurately we review material, and that’s created a lot of efficiency gains for clients. The latest wave of AI is helping us cast our nets wider when considering a problem, get to the right materials quickly and give a more confident answer. When a client calls and says, 'I’ve got a meeting in two hours, what do you think about this issue?', AI helps me kick the tyres on my instincts, stress-test my thinking, and deliver more value to the client.
AI helps me kick the tyres on my instincts, stress-test my thinking, and deliver more value to the client in a shorter amount of time.
But it’s not just about speed. AI opens up space for greater creativity and lateral thinking. I can fire off left-field questions, get indicative answers and decide whether it’s worth sending a junior lawyer down a rabbit hole. It’s like having vacation clerks on hand year round – smart, eager, not quite lawyers, but able to do the quick and dirty thinking that helps us triage, direct effort and sometimes uncover a gold nugget.
Looking ahead, I see AI making our work even more accurate and efficient – and delivering greater value overall. It’s not about replacing lawyers; it’s about supporting us to focus on the strategic and deeper thinking that clients really value in complex disputes.
