Gilbert + Tobin CEO: AI adoption at 87% frees lawyers for client work

·2026.11.11 10:06

Key point

The Australian law firm achieved 87% active ChatGPT usage by prioritizing leadership adoption and governance over mandates, using the tool to handle administrative tasks like annual reviews for a cost of about $62.

Details

  • Gilbert + Tobin achieved 87% active usage among enabled ChatGPT users, more than twice the firm's typical adoption rate for other tools, by encouraging experimentation and leadership modeling rather than mandating usage targets.
  • CEO Sam Nickless reports that the primary value of AI is freeing lawyers to focus on human-centric work, such as client meetings and mentoring, rather than reducing headcount or cutting costs.
  • The firm implemented a three-phase rollout: initial experimentation with strict data privacy constraints, followed by the introduction of ChatGPT Enterprise and Codex for secure, multistep agentic workflows with human review.
  • Nickless used ChatGPT Work to automate a confidential annual review process for 120 partners, completing file updates, PDF creation, and bundling in minutes for a total cost of approximately $62.
  • A custom GPT built by Nickless acts as a "digital twin," allowing direct reports to test their thinking against his working style and feedback context before formal discussions.

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