Thomas Hawkins – April 12, 2025 – 6 mins read
If you’ve been in legal IT for more than five minutes this year, someone’s probably asked you what you think about AI tools like Robin AI.
I first came across Robin AI via a demo shown to our senior legal team during a vendor pitch. The promise was bold (as they always are): faster contract review, fewer manual hours, and better consistency across the board.
Naturally, I was skeptical.
Where Robin AI Impressed Me
We ran a trial across a small cohort — mostly contract-heavy teams — and I have to admit, it wasn’t all hype.
- Speed and Scale
Robin AI genuinely accelerated routine review work. The tool pulled out clauses, flagged risks, and suggested edits in seconds. For one associate, what normally took 45 minutes took 10.
- User Experience
It had one of the cleaner, lawyer-friendly interfaces I’ve seen in this space. No overly technical dashboards — just accessible, plain-English feedback embedded right in the doc workflow.
- Version Control Integration
It played nicely with our DMS, which was non-negotiable. Being able to ingest and return Word docs without disrupting existing version control was a quiet win.
But It’s Not Set-and-Forget
I warned my legal team: AI ≠ automatic accuracy.
- Human Review is Still Essential
Robin AI can identify common clause types, red-flag key terms, and suggest alternatives — but it’s not the same as legal judgment. Especially on niche or non-standard contracts, we saw limitations.
- Training Takes Time
Even with its “out-of-the-box” smarts, the tool needs context to improve — playbooks, firm preferences, and risk tolerance all need to be fed in and fine-tuned.
- Privacy and Governance Questions
Any AI tool working with client-sensitive documents immediately triggers a round of InfoSec reviews. Robin AI passed ours, but firms need to ask tough questions about data handling, retention, and where models are hosted.
A Smart Tool for the Right Use Case
Would I roll it out firm-wide tomorrow? No.
But would I recommend it for high-volume contract work or internal compliance teams? Absolutely — if it’s paired with strong governance and real legal oversight.
Robin AI isn’t here to replace your team. But it can take the pressure off them. For mid-sized firms like ours, where legal talent is already stretched, that efficiency boost matters.
Final Thoughts: Don’t Buy the Buzz – Test the Tool
We’re past the point where legal AI is a novelty. The tools are here, the capabilities are real — but implementation, integration, and adoption still fall on us in IT.
My advice to peers thinking about Robin AI:
- Start small and choose the right team to trial it.
- Make legal training part of your rollout plan.
- Partner with InfoSec early — don’t treat it as an afterthought.
The hype is real, but so is the potential. Robin AI isn’t magic — but in the right hands, it’s a sharp addition to the legal tech toolkit.
About The Author
Thomas Hawkins is the Technology Operations Lead at a regional law firm, where he oversees the implementation, integration, and optimisation of the firm’s legal technology stack. With over a decade of hands-on experience in legal IT, Thomas specialises in building practical, sustainable systems that support modern legal workflows — from collaboration platforms to case management infrastructure.
Known for his pragmatic approach and deep understanding of how lawyers actually work, Thomas has led several successful digital transformation initiatives, including the consolidation of communication tools and the streamlining of matter-centric collaboration. Passionate about simplifying complex tech environments, he focuses on aligning systems with real-world user needs — not just vendor promises.
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