Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer today unveils a new diagnostic tool, designed to help General Counsel better understand their team's relationship with Generative AI.
Developed by the firm’s Legal Operations Advisory team, the 'GenAI Persona Builder' captures both contextual data and behavioural signals that reflect how individuals engage and feel about Generative AI. This helps legal teams better understand what is driving adoption within their function and design clearer strategies that encourage more meaningful engagement with GenAI tools.
"Within the legal industry most efforts to accelerate the adoption of Generative AI still focus on technical training and tool proficiency. However, knowing how to use it is not always enough as diverse mindsets, behaviours, and attitudes will impact engagement, productivity and ultimately, performance. Without that behavioural lens, adoption risks falling flat, because real engagement with GenAI is not just about capability, it is about connection," says Clara Garfield, Head of Legal Operations Advisory (UK and EMEA), in HSF Kramer's Digital Legal Delivery practice.
The tool guides legal professionals through a structured questionnaire, designed to assess levels of advocacy for, belief in and curiosity about the way Generative AI can be applied in legal work. Each response contributes to a behavioural profile, assigning individuals to one of eight persona types, ranging from vocal supporters to sceptics and change-resistant individuals.
Intended as a tool that can be deployed repeatedly to track the impact of engagement efforts over time, the GenAI Persona Builder delivers personalised insights to individuals, and strategic intelligence to leadership that can inform decision-making, development programmes, and operational planning. By embedding this data within a broader set of initiatives supported by the firm to increase both individual engagement and functional readiness, the tool ensures that legal teams are culturally and behaviourally prepared to use them effectively. This integrated approach helps clients unlock the full value of their AI investments by aligning people, process and technology.
"Understanding how individuals engage with Generative AI is just the starting point. Legal leaders need to translate behavioural insights into action, ensuring that their teams are not only equipped with the right technology for their needs, but ready and engaged to use it in ways that capitalise on the value of their investment," adds Tuna Kutsal, Head of Legal Operations Advisory (Australia), in HSF Kramer's Digital Legal Delivery practice.
The GenAI Persona Builder is a strategic addition to HSF Kramer's broader digital ecosystem. It generates behavioural insights that complement the firm's suite of digital tools including its