Lerners Lawyers

Leading Ontario firm

Key Takeaways

The Digital Leadership Challenge

Before adopting AI-powered timekeeping, Lerners faced the same challenges as many forward-thinking firms: how to leverage technology not just for internal efficiency, but to improve client service and transparency.

Manual Time Entry Created Client Service Issues

Traditional timekeeping methods created accuracy concerns that affected client relationships. "A lot of communication is done via email, which is important in terms of the value proposition of automated timekeeping," says Cynthia Kuehl, Firm Chair and Partner, Lerners. The shift to primarily digital communications after the 2020 pandemic intensified these challenges.

Workflow Disruption Impacted Client Work Quality

"It was disjointed in two ways," Kuehl explains. "One was every time I finished a project, I had to go and enter it. I would enter it myself and then move on to something else. And that is not how work flows." This constant interruption meant less time focused on delivering client value.

Inconsistent and Interrupted Time Capture

Another issue was guesswork in reconstructing time. "I would be mid-writing a long document, and an email would pop up. I would answer it, go back to the document, and try to figure out how much time I had spent on everything."

The Laurel Solution: AI-First Client Service

Laurel's AI-powered platform enabled Lerners to position itself as a digital leader while directly improving client service delivery. Giving leadership a clear view of how time gets spent at the firm allows for Lerners' leadership to adapt and continue focusing professionals' time on getting clients what they need.

1. AI as an Assistant, Not Replacement

Laurel works in the background to track time spent on emails, documents, calls, and meetings without requiring lawyers to change how they work, eliminating missed billable time or details that should be recorded in dockets caused by memory gaps or interruptions.

2. Enhanced Client Transparency and Confidence

The system's continuous, real-time tracking provides clients with unprecedented transparency into legal work. This defensible record reduces billing disputes and builds client trust.

3. Seamless Integration for Uninterrupted Client Service

Laurel integrates directly with Elite 3E and Microsoft tools already in use at the firm, ensuring that client service is never disrupted by technology implementation.

4. Proactive and Responsive Support

When technical issues arise, Laurel’s team addresses them quickly without queues in receiving that feedback.

5. AI-First Workflow for Enhanced Client Service

For Kuehl, Laurel fits into a broader AI-first approach to her workday. She begins her mornings with Harvey, the firm’s AI legal assistant, to clear her to-do list, and at the end of the day, she reviews and finalizes her dockets in Laurel, confident that all billable work has been captured.

Transformative Results

Proven Revenue Recovery

"By leveraging Laurel, you can be confident that every unit of work on a client matter is accurately captured. This ensures that your dockets truly reflect the value delivered, enhancing transparency with clients while protecting the firm's right to fair compensation," says Ciocan.

More Time for Meaningful Client Work

"My dockets now take me maybe five minutes to do, including cleanups. But it used to be like half an hour, 45 minutes," says Kuehl. These time savings are redirected toward high-value client service activities.

Client Confidence Through Technology Leadership

"I feel like there is a real opportunity to justify billing to clients. If someone were to challenge my time, it gives me security to say this is actually what I spent, and I know that because I did not manually enter it," says Kuehl.

Firm-Wide Digital Adoption for Consistent Client Experience

"If you are a lawyer and you start, whether you are an associate, a student, or a partner, you get Laurel on day one. That is all you are taught," says Ciocan, ensuring consistent, technology-enhanced service across all client relationships.

Positioning as Digital Leaders

By embedding AI into daily routines and demonstrating measurable improvements in client service, Lerners has positioned itself as an innovation-first firm that clients can trust with their most important matters.

This technology-first approach enables the firm to:

• Deliver consistent service quality through standardized, AI-enhanced processes.
• Focus lawyer time on high-value client work rather than administrative tasks.
• Demonstrate innovation leadership to clients who expect modern, efficient legal service.