P2P

P E E R T O P E E R M A G A Z I N E · S P R I N G 2 0 2 6 23 Ryan Cimino, Head of GenAI Operations at Herbert Smith Freehills, captured the imperative in a firm publication. "By 2026, robust AI governance and mandatory upskilling will be non-negotiable for legal teams. Clients and regulators will demand transparency and accountability in AI-assisted outputs. Firms that combine robust guardrails with deep AI literacy and sophisticated selection of AI solutions will earn client trust and regulatory confidence." THE INFLECTION POINT Law firms stand at an inflection point. AI-powered development tools have made software building accessible to professionals across the organization, creating unprecedented opportunities to customize, automate, and innovate. The firms that thoughtfully embrace this capability -- enabling productive citizen development while managing data security, code maintainability, and workforce implications -- will gain significant advantages in operational efficiency, client service, and talent attraction. Bernadette Bulacan, chief evangelist at Ironclad, predicted in Bloomberg Law, "After decades of sheepishly holding the title of 'Most Tech-Averse Department,' in 2026 corporate counsel will surprise the enterprise with a full reputation rebrand as the company's boldest tech adopters. They'll leave those 2025 pilots behind and lead full- blown AI rollouts." But the path forward requires more than simply distributing AI coding tools. It requires new governance frameworks that balance enablement with appropriate control, honest conversations about workforce implications and role evolution, and investment in training and architectural guidance to ensure that today's helpful prototypes do not become tomorrow's unmaintainable liabilities. The era of vibe coding in big law has arrived. The question now is not whether law firms will build custom software -- many already are -- but whether they will do so in ways that capture the extraordinary value while managing the very real risks. Those that answer this question thoughtfully will find themselves positioned to compete and innovate in ways that were simply impossible just a few years ago. As Jenny Hamilton, Chief Legal Officer at Exterro, observed in a January 2026 Corporate Compliance Insights article, "The legal profession faces a new category of risk that is accelerating faster than previous technology-mediated legal obligations: the use of AI for legal work. As a result, in 2026, general counsels will begin to engage more deeply with their legal tech strategy, invigorate the legal ops function with greater authority, and push their professionals to use purpose-built legal AI." According to a January 2026 article by the North Carolina Bar Association, "By 2025, the legal industry has moved past the question of if artificial intelligence will be used, to how it must be governed." The solution? "Instead of a blockade, firms need a guardrails policy that empowers lawyers to use technology safely while strictly adhering to ethical and legal obligations." These frameworks typically include clear guidelines about what types of applications are appropriate for citizen development versus those requiring: • Formal IT involvement • Lightweight security review processes • Training on basic security principles • Code repositories and documentation standards • Regular dialogue between IT leadership and business function The revolution is here. The only question is how firms will navigate it PAUL GIEDRAITIS Paul Giedraitis is Founder and CEO of Orgaimi, the world's most powerful client intelligence platform for law firms. He is an artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning solutions expert, as well as a technology entrepreneur who has co-founded several successful startup ventures. Paul's career experience spans industries including legal technology, capital markets, algorithmic trading, regulatory compliance, and FinTech. He has served as a board member and advisor to multiple startup companies and has appeared as a featured speaker at numerous industry events on the topics of AI and client intelligence in the legal industry.

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