Big Law Is Paying Lawyers to Learn AI. Here's What Small Firms Should Do
Prices and facts checked October 15, 2026. We don't accept payment for rankings.
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What happened: in October 2026, Ropes & Gray said its more than 1,000 associates and counsel can now count up to 100 hours of AI experimentation and training toward their annual billable-hour targets. That expands a 2025 pilot that let first-years put nearly 400 hours, about 20% of their time, into AI training and simulations. Akerman has given billable credit since April for approved AI projects (Inside AI; Lawyer Monthly).
Why it matters: the biggest firms are treating AI skill as part of the job and paying for the time it takes to build it. Small firms can't give away hundreds of billable hours, but they face the same pressure: clients expect AI-assisted efficiency, and courts are punishing unverified AI output. The answer for a small firm isn't matching Big Law's hours. It's a short, structured plan.
What the big firms are doing
| Firm | Approach | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Ropes & Gray | Fixed credit | Up to 100 hours a year of AI training counts toward billable targets. Associates "invested over 35,000 associate hours to AI time this year," per a spokesperson. |
| Akerman | Project credit | Credit for AI projects that add value: for example, an AI agent that reviews construction contracts, and tests documenting where AI research tools get things wrong. Lawyers can propose projects through an internal portal. |
| Polsinelli | No credit | AI training is expected but not credited. Its chair says lawyers should think about AI "every day you wake up and have breakfast." |
Sources: Inside AI; Lawyer Monthly; Above the Law.
Akerman's chairman acknowledged the cost: "We understand that there may be some compression in billable hours." Lawyer Monthly notes the credit is internal: it counts toward targets, but it doesn't mean the hours are billed to clients.
The bigger worry: the junior-lawyer pipeline
The debate isn't only about cost. Law.com asked on October 14, 2026 how junior lawyers will develop judgment when AI takes over the research, drafting and document review they used to learn on (Law.com). Structured training is partly an answer to that. Juniors learn with AI, but they're taught to verify and reason, not just accept what it produces.
The money is there, for now. Citi's half-year review found law firm revenue up 11.7% and billable hours up more than 4% in the first half of 2026. AI and innovation spending is growing faster than any other expense, at around 0.25% of revenue in 2025 (Best Law Firms).
Why small firms can't skip this
- Competence: ABA Formal Opinion 512 expects lawyers to understand the AI tools they use, including their risks (our guide).
- Sanctions: more than 2,000 court decisions now involve AI-fabricated content (case roundup).
- Confidentiality: a federal court held a client's consumer AI chats weren't privileged (Heppner ruling).
A 20-hour AI training plan for a small firm
Spread over a quarter, at about 90 minutes a week:
| Weeks | Focus | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Rules first: ABA Opinion 512, your state bar's guidance, court standing orders | One-page firm AI policy (approved tools, what data goes where) |
| 3–4 | Verification drill: run 10 research questions through your tools and check every citation | A shared "how we verify" checklist |
| 5–6 | Drafting: first drafts of client letters and motions from your own templates | A prompt library for your practice area |
| 7–8 | Contracts and documents: test a contract review tool on agreements you've already negotiated | A decision on whether it's worth paying for |
| 9–10 | Practice management AI: turn on and test the AI in Clio, MyCase or whatever you use | Settings reviewed for data retention and training |
| 11–12 | Review: what saved time, what failed, what to stop doing | An updated policy and tool list |
Making it count: borrow Akerman's idea at a small-firm scale. Credit time spent on AI projects that produce something the firm keeps, like a template, a checklist or a tested workflow. Don't credit open-ended "exploring."
Tools to test: see best AI tools for small law firms, AI contract review software, Clio vs MyCase vs PracticePanther and legal AI vs ChatGPT.
FAQ
Can lawyers bill clients for AI training?
Generally no. Training is firm overhead. Firms like Ropes & Gray credit training toward internal targets, which isn't the same as billing a client.
How many hours of AI training do lawyers need?
No rule sets a number. Ropes & Gray allows up to 100 hours a year of credit. A small firm can cover the essentials (rules, verification, drafting and tool setup) in about 20 hours.
Will AI reduce billable hours?
Akerman's chairman expects "some compression." So far, though, large-firm billable hours grew more than 4% in the first half of 2026. See will AI replace lawyers?
Sources
Pages we used for this article, checked on or before the update date above.
- Inside AI · insideai.news
- Lawyer Monthly · lawyer-monthly.com
- Above the Law · abovethelaw.com
- Law.com · law.com
- Best Law Firms · bestlawfirms.com
- Alex Block · unsplash.com
Changelog: Oct 15, 2026: first published.