Legal technology has always struggled with one thing: getting lawyers to use it. So the striking finding of RSGI's new independent study, commissioned by Harvey and published today, is not that the tool saves time — it's how quickly lawyers have become attached to it.
Harvey commissioned RSGI to produce the first independent, data-driven study of how its customers measure and realise value. We interviewed 40 organisations — 29 law firms and 11 corporate legal teams — spanning North America, the UK, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. They ranged from global enterprises with full firm-wide licences to lean teams with a few dozen, from multi-year users to recent adopters.
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Most legal technology promises a long road to value. The customers we spoke to described a much shorter one. More than two-thirds reported measurable benefits within three months of implementation, and well over a third saw them inside the first month. Speed to value, not eventual ROI, is what made the platform stick.
"I was surprised at how quickly Harvey has become part of a lawyer's everyday working life, and at the emotive responses we received about how much they value being able to do higher-value work. I did not expect this impact to evince itself so quickly."
Reena SenGupta, Executive Director, RSGI
The deeper finding is that impact grows with fluency. The lawyers our participants classed as "power users" — typically 20–30% of a team — saved roughly double the time of standard users, averaging close to 37 hours a month at law firms. The longer a firm had used Harvey, the more its lawyers reported energy, creativity and fulfilment, not just efficiency. The lesson for anyone rolling out legal AI: the return is in the skill of use, not the licence count.
"The report shows how legal AI adoption has moved well beyond the pilot phase and is embedded in daily workflows. We wanted to provide evidence-based insight into Harvey's measurable impact, and the report highlights how our customers are shaping the future of the legal industry."
K-Ming Lee, Head of Customer Engagement, Harvey
What stayed with us was not the hours saved but what lawyers did with them. With routine work absorbed, participants described having more room to think strategically, advise more confidently and rebuild client relationships. We call this the human premium — the distinctly human skills lawyers can cultivate once AI takes the drudgery. On the evidence of this study, the next phase of legal AI won't be defined by the technology, but by the people and organisations that use it best.
Law firms: A&O Shearman, ArentFox Schiff, Ashurst, Cuatrecasas, Gilbert + Tobin, Honigman LLP, Jackson Walker, King & Wood Mallesons, Lewis Silkin LLP, Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann LLP, Machado Meyer, Mayer Brown LLP, Mori Hamada, Orrick, Schoenherr, Paul Weiss, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP.
In-house teams: ArcelorMittal, AT&T, Centros Comerciales Carrefour S.A., National Grid, Repsol, Syngenta Group, Talanx.
For a full copy of the report: [Click here]
Key findings
Key findings
At a glance
