As A.I. Makes Law Firms More Efficient, Clients Ask: ‘Where’s My Discount?’

For most businesses, a mounting perception of A.I. prowess would be a clear-cut boon. But in an industry that bills by the hour, it has ruffled some feathers.

When, clients want to know, is that A.I. efficiency going to lead to lower legal bills?

“You’re getting to the point where clients are saying, ‘That’s great that you’re using A.I. and it’s making you faster, it’s making you more efficient,’” Neill Jakobe, the vice chairman of Ropes Gray, told DealBook. But, he said, they want to know, “What does that mean for us?”

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Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/business/dealbook/ai-law-discount-billable-hour.html