The Legal AI Index
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№ 14 · Tier 2 · Large International / NationalArchitect

Pinsent Masons

Multi-vendor portfolio with client-facing AI products.

Platforms in use
LegoraV7 GoXapienLexis+ AIContractPodAi / Leah
Proprietary tools and programmes
  • Electrify

    AI-enabled DD platform for multi-site infrastructure projects (energy and electrification rollouts). Began with single client need, refined for broader use.

  • Portana

    Interactive M&A reporting platform replacing static reports.

ALSP & NewLaw arm
Vario
Multi-service NewLaw
Launched 2013Scale ~2,000-strong bench

Multi-service ALSP arm: on-demand freelance lawyers, managed legal services, legal project management and legaltech consultancy. Bench of ~2,000 professionals. Expanded to the Middle East (2024) and Ireland (2025). ContractPodAi/Leah powers Vario's managed legal services (Jul 2025).

Visit Vario
What is happening
  • ·Legora firmwide strategic partnership (Feb 2026) following pilot across corporate, commercial, and property groups. Initial rollout to 1,000 users with plans to expand. Co-creation model.
  • ·V7 Go GenAI automation platform (Aug 2024).
  • ·Xapien LLM-powered AML compliance tool (Nov 2024).
  • ·Lexis+ AI pilot showed 30 mins/week saved per user.
  • ·ContractPodAi/Leah strategic partnership (Jul 2025), agentic AI powering Vario managed legal services. Includes reseller element.
  • ·Time spent on innovation work recorded and counted toward internal targets, factored into performance and bonus discussions.
  • ·Published frameworks for trustworthy AI and EU AI Act high-risk classification.
  • ·Responding to second-order effects of AI - using automation to manage the surge in mass claims and tribunal activity that generative tools have helped create.
  • ·May 2026: Hayley Harris (ex-BCLP, under Judy Mackenzie Stuart) hired as global chief knowledge and AI adoption officer, effective June 2026. COO Matt Peers: 'Every week someone promises the world through a new module and Hayley will be custodian of the tools and how they work and fit together.'
  • ·May 2026: AI hallucination incident. A junior solicitor used AI to research a point of insolvency law; the AI generated a non-existent rule (Insolvency Rule 12.37(5)), which was relied upon in misleading letters to the High Court in Cork v Smith. The firm self-referred to the SRA (22 May 2026), apologised, and agreed to cover the additional costs caused. The judge described the AI output as 'plainly wrong' and 'extremely misleading'. This appears to be the first known SRA self-referral from a major UK law firm for AI-related misconduct and drew widespread industry commentary on AI governance and supervision requirements.
Sources