In a recent roundtable conversation hosted by Raconteur, two experienced leaders, Emma Carey (managing partner, MBS Solicitors) and David Wyle (general manager of audit for Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting Professionals), shared a candid dialogue about the complex emotional, operational and strategic decisions that shape AI adoption in the legal and professional services sectors.
The discussion centred on the intersection of Carey’s on-the-ground realism and Wyle’s enterprise-level insight, illuminating a thoughtful, human-centred roadmap for embracing AI.
First steps into the future
Representing a values-driven legal firm, Carey’s perspective was not one of automation evangelism or high-budget pilots. Instead, it was a frank articulation of what many firms are feeling but few admit: apprehension, uncertainty and the sheer challenge of change.
“We are very much at the beginning of our journey in relation to AI,” Carey emphasised. “But we’ve got to go for it, and we’ve got to learn and embrace it.”
Her firm, MBS Solicitors, has historically thrived on a relational, community-centred model built on trust, personal connection and a high-touch approach to legal counsel. In Carey’s view, this ethos need not be sacrificed to AI. But it does mean the bar for technology adoption is higher. “Our clients put their lives and livelihoods in our hands,” she said. “We can’t afford to experiment recklessly.”
Seeing the terrain from above
Where Carey brought the perspective of a firm at the starting line, Wyle offered a macro view from a company already investing deeply in AI transformation. His tone was pragmatic and strategic, but also empathetic.
“AI isn’t a single solution,” Wyle noted. “It’s an enabling capability. You don’t just ‘switch it on.’ You look at where it makes sense in your workflows, how it aligns with what your people are already doing and where it removes friction.”
For Wyle, one of the biggest misconceptions is that AI needs to replace people to deliver value. In reality, he argued, it enhances human capability, especially in high-trust professions like law. “It’s about augmentation, not substitution. Helping professionals do more of what they do best.”
He also underscored that success depends less on technology than on change management. “The biggest blockers we see aren’t technical. They’re cultural. People want to understand why it matters to them, how it affects their role and whether it makes their job harder or easier.”
Fear, friction and forward motion
This point resonated deeply with Carey. “It’s not that people are lazy or resistant,” she said. “It’s that they’re scared of doing it wrong, of losing control and of changing what they know works.”
In professional services, where client relationships are sacred and missteps costly, that fear is rational. But Carey warned that fear can easily become inertia. “If we wait until we’ve got a perfect roadmap, we’ll never move. We’ve started small by letting our people experiment, ask questions and try tools without judgment.”
That curiosity, Wyle added, is where most meaningful AI adoption starts. “You need internal champions,” he said. “And they’re not always at the top. Sometimes it’s the associates, the analysts - the ones living in the workflows - who know exactly where the pain points are.”
Wyle emphasised that success stories emerge when leadership empowers those voices, advising leaders: “don’t impose; co-create.”
Rethinking risk
Both Carey and Wyle agreed that AI demands a new definition of risk. For Carey, the traditional legal mindset treats new technology as a liability. “But in today’s context, the greater risk might be standing still,” she says. “Clients are starting to ask about how we’re using AI. If we can’t answer that credibly, we risk looking behind the curve.”
Wyle echoed this sentiment. “Not engaging with AI means two things: inefficiency and irrelevance. The firms that thrive in the next five years won’t necessarily be the biggest - they’ll be the ones willing to experiment, adapt and evolve.”
That said, Wyle emphasised the need for guardrails. “We don’t advocate unregulated AI use, especially in the legal profession. But there’s a middle ground between paralysis and recklessness. It’s called responsible innovation.”
Use cases that build trust
Both leaders stressed the importance of starting with use cases that deliver immediate value without high risk.
For MBS, Carey shared early exploration around AI for transcription, internal knowledge capture and client communications. “Simple things, but things that eat up hours every week,” she noted. “Even a 10% time saving could change how we work.”
Wyle pointed to examples from Thomson Reuters where AI is being used to summarise legal documents, highlight regulatory risks or pre-populate case information, all without removing the lawyer from the loop. “These aren’t moonshots. They’re enhancements.”
He also highlighted a growing emphasis on explainability: “If professionals don’t understand how the AI reached its recommendation, they won’t use it. We have to build systems that are transparent by design.”
The human multiplier
Beyond efficiency, both Wyle and Carey spoke about the deeper potential of AI to democratise expertise. “AI can take the knowledge that used to sit in the heads of a few senior partners and help surface that across the firm,” Carey said. “It’s not about shortcuts. It’s about shared intelligence.”
Wyle took it further. “We’re moving from a world of information scarcity to one of abundance. But without tools to interpret that information, we risk overwhelm. That’s what AI can solve. It’s not about replacing judgment, but enhancing it.”
Ultimately, both panellists returned to the same truth: AI transformation isn’t a tech story. It’s a leadership challenge.
“You can’t wait for certainty,” Carey said. “You have to lead with clarity even in the gray areas.” For her, that means being honest with her team about what she knows, what she doesn’t and what they’ll figure out together.
Wyle added, “Leaders need to set the direction, not have all the answers. If you frame AI as a shared exploration, not a fixed strategy, you invite engagement rather than fear.”
Courage over perfection
The conversation revealed a shared philosophy: AI is neither panacea nor pariah. It is a tool and one that is powerful, imperfect and rapidly evolving. For firms like MBS, the journey begins with cultural permission to try. For companies like Thomson Reuters, the challenge is to operationalise trust, not just technology.
But what stood out most was the emotional clarity from both speakers. As Carey concluded: “This isn’t just about systems. It’s about mindset. It’s about courage. And it’s about leading by example.”
That’s a leadership lesson every industry can learn from.
In a recent roundtable conversation hosted by Raconteur, two experienced leaders, Emma Carey (managing partner, MBS Solicitors) and David Wyle (general manager of audit for Thomson Reuters Tax & Accounting Professionals), shared a candid dialogue about the complex emotional, operational and strategic decisions that shape AI adoption in the legal and professional services sectors.
The discussion centred on the intersection of Carey’s on-the-ground realism and Wyle’s enterprise-level insight, illuminating a thoughtful, human-centred roadmap for embracing AI.
First steps into the future
Representing a values-driven legal firm, Carey’s perspective was not one of automation evangelism or high-budget pilots. Instead, it was a frank articulation of what many firms are feeling but few admit: apprehension, uncertainty and the sheer challenge of change.
