Cash rewards for reaching one million inputs on Microsoft Copilot
Shoosmiths has handed its staff a £1 million bonus boost after hitting an ambitious internal AI target, becoming one of the first major UK law firms to put hard cash behind everyday AI usage.
The national outfit has revealed that it has reached its goal of one million Microsoft Copilot prompts more than four months ahead of schedule, unlocking an additional £1 million for its firmwide bonus pool.
The target, announced back in April, forms part of Shoosmiths’ multi-million “collegiate” bonus scheme, which is open to all staff. Having now hit the AI milestone, the extra cash will be made available to eligible employees in the new financial year, subject to the firm also meeting its “core financial metric”.
Shoosmiths says it is the first major law firm to link a firmwide bonus directly to AI use across its workforce, a move that has attracted plenty of attention across the market and, judging by the numbers, a healthy amount of enthusiasm internally.
The firm reports that Copilot is already delivering tangible benefits. Rolled out as a general-purpose AI tool, it is being used across the firm to tidy up emails, summarise documents, generate ideas, support research and manage meetings.
Shoosmiths, which scored an A* for tech in our most recent Trainee and Junior Lawyer Survey, is keen to stress that the tool is not used for work requiring legal training or expertise. Instead, it helps lawyers handle non-legal tasks, which the firm says frees them up to spend more time on client work.
David Jackson, CEO at Shoosmiths, said:
“Shoosmiths is a leader when it comes to innovation, setting the tone for what impactful and effective AI adoption looks like across the industry. Hitting this milestone ahead of schedule showcases our people’s commitment and enthusiasm to embrace change and create a new benchmark for what client service looks like.”
“We are proud to be driving the AI shift and continue to explore ways to make AI even more accessible across the firm,” Jackson added. “AI is an incredibly powerful enabler—it helps us work smarter and deliver greater value for clients, freeing our people to focus on human-to-human work at the heart of client services.”
But not all firms are embracing AI with the same levels of enthusiasm as Shoosmiths. Legal Cheek reported earlier this year that Hill Dickinson had introduced restrictions on general access to several AI tools following a surge in usage by its lawyers and staff.