On 10 December 2025, we were invited to the Legal Transformation Network event (also known as Legal Tech Glögit) by Heikki Ilvesalo and Karolina Šilingienė, hosted by Sorainen at their office in Tallinn, Estonia. The seminar brought together legal leaders, innovators, and technology providers to explore how data, culture, and technology are reshaping the delivery of legal services.
The event opened with a keynote by Aku Sorainen, Senior Partner at Sorainen, who shared practical and concrete examples of how law firms can better harness the real value of data. A central theme of the presentation was the need to rethink how partner performance is assessed. Traditionally, law firms have relied heavily on so-called “hard data” such as billable hours, revenue, and utilisation rates. While these metrics remain important, they only provide a partial picture of performance and contribution.
At Sorainen, this insight has led to a conscious effort to complement traditional metrics with more qualitative data. This includes information such as client feedback and matter outcomes, rankings in legal directories, use of knowledge-management tools, profitability of matters, innovation initiatives, mentoring and coaching, and broader contributions to the firm. Collecting and structuring this type of “soft data” presents clear challenges, particularly when it comes to storage, consistency, and governance. However, the long-term benefits are substantial.
By focusing on both the quantity and quality of data, Sorainen is actively building a data-centric and client-centric culture that extends far beyond time recording. When people see that data is used thoughtfully and fairly, they are more inclined to contribute information and take responsibility for maintaining clean, structured data. Over time, this enables the firm to support highly practical use cases in everyday work, such as preparing more effectively for client meetings, budgeting and staffing matters more accurately, prioritising business-development efforts, and creating more informed and realistic business plans.
A strong data foundation also enables a more holistic and fair approach to partner evaluation and remuneration. Instead of being assessed primarily on financial metrics, partners can be recognised for the full breadth of their contribution to clients, colleagues, and the firm as a whole. In this sense, a data-centric approach not only improves decision-making, but also contributes to a more engaging and transparent working environment.
Importantly, structured and reliable data is a prerequisite for using generative AI in a meaningful way. Without high-quality underlying data, AI tools risk producing generic or unreliable output. With the right data and culture in place, however, firms can apply AI more efficiently, achieve real economies of scale, and deliver legal advice faster and in a more consistent manner. For clients, this translates into higher quality, better predictability, and an improved price-quality ratio which ultimately results in stronger client relationships.
The seminar also included a best-practices panel featuring Aku Sorainen together with Jan Willamo, Markus Oksanen, and Mariana Hagström, offering perspectives on legal transformation from different roles and jurisdictions. In addition, participants were shown demonstrations of solutions from Silves, Avokaado, Crespect, and Sorainen, illustrating how technology can support structured legal work and collaboration in practice.
Towards the end of the programme, the discussion turned to online dispute resolution and emerging questions around AI as a claimant versus AI as a judge, with perspectives from both Finland and the Estonian Bar Association. The day concluded with a much-appreciated networking dinner hosted by Sorainen, providing an opportunity to continue the conversations in a more informal setting.
Overall, the event served as a strong reminder that legal transformation is not primarily about individual tools or technologies. It is about building a data-centric culture that enables better decisions, fairer evaluation, more effective use of AI, and ultimately higher-quality legal services for clients.