Category: 3. Business

What it takes to scale AI with confidence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer an experiment for legal professionals. It is a foundational technology that transforms how legal teams operate, bill, and manage risk. On March 10, we launched the first episode of the Future Ready Lawyer 2026 webinar series, “Building Confidence in an AI Era”, focusing on how organizations can responsibly scale this technology.

This webinar unpacked the realities of technology adoption, moving past theoretical discussions to address how organizations can build reliable frameworks. By understanding the latest data and expert insights, legal operations leaders can take control of their workflows and ensure their teams use new software effectively and securely.

How technology is shaping the legal profession

The session centered on the rapid shift from piloting individual tools to scaling them across entire teams and regions. Participants explored the findings from the 2026 Future Ready Lawyer Survey, which revealed that 92 percent of legal professionals now use at least one AI tool in their daily work.

The data presented during the webinar paints a clear picture of the current impact of technology on the legal sector.

• Productivity gains are real: 62 percent of respondents report saving between six and 20 percent of their work week thanks to process automation.
• Revenue is growing: 52 percent of law firms and legal departments attribute a six to 20 percent increase in revenue to their software investments.
• Barriers still exist: Despite high adoption rates, 39 percent of professionals cite inadequate training and resources as a primary challenge, while 41 percent of law firms worry about ethical and data privacy concerns.

Key insights from the webinar

1. AI adoption is no longer the question, scaling it is.

One of the clearest signals from the discussion was that legal has moved past the experimentation phase. With more than 90% of legal professionals now using at least one AI tool, the challenge is no longer access or willingness. It’s consistency, ownership, and scale.

Several panelists emphasized that AI usage today is highly fragmented — different tools, approaches, maturity, often within the same organization. As Elgar Weijtmans and Ken Crutchfield noted, this fragmentation may work during pilots, but it breaks down quickly when teams try to operationalize AI across an enterprise.

The real question facing legal leaders now is not whether AI is being used, but how it is governed, embedded, and sustained across teams.

2. The hard part of AI isn’t the tech; it’s the people.

A recurring theme was that technology itself represents only a small part of successful AI implementation. AI adoption is roughly 20% technology and 80% people.

Firms and legal departments that are seeing meaningful results invest heavily in training, change management, and workflow redesign. That means small‑group enablement, real use‑case mapping, and showing lawyers how AI fits into their day‑to‑day work — not just giving them access to a tool and hoping for adoption.

Panelists reinforced this by pointing out that adoption doesn’t scale through one‑time training. It scales when lawyers can see immediate relevance at the moment of need. Without that, even the best technology stalls

3. Shadow AI is a governance failure, not a user failure.

Concerns around “shadow AI” — lawyers using consumer‑grade tools outside approved systems — surfaced repeatedly.

Panelists explained that shadow AI emerges when official tools are hard to use, poorly integrated, or simply unavailable. Lawyers will always gravitate toward the easiest path to getting work done.

The most effective way to reduce shadow AI isn’t stricter enforcement; it’s better design. When secure, approved AI tools are embedded directly into document management systems and workflows, the incentive to use external tools drops dramatically.

4. AI isn’t replacing lawyers; it’s exposing what only lawyers do.

Perhaps the most philosophical insight pertained to related aspects of the same shift.

AI is rapidly stripping away non‑legal and “context” work, tasks that were never core to legal judgment but consumed enormous amounts of time. As that work disappears, the profession is being forced to confront a deeper question: what is uniquely legal expertise?

This has implications far beyond efficiency. It affects pricing models, staffing, the role of in‑house teams versus law firms, and even how legal value is defined. AI isn’t diminishing the lawyer’s role. It’s narrowing the role to its most essential, strategic core.

Why this matters to legal operations

Across the discussion, one message was consistent: AI is accelerating changes that were already underway in legal. The organizations that succeed won’t be the ones chasing the next model or tool. They’ll be the ones that invest in leadership, governance, and clarity around how legal work actually gets done. For legal operations, these insights signal a shift from tool evaluation to operational leadership. The value now lies in defining governance, embedding AI into workflows, and driving consistent adoption across teams. Legal ops becomes the connective tissue between strategy, technology, people, and outside counsel expectations, ensuring AI delivers scale, trust, and measurable impact rather than isolated efficiency gains.

For more valuable insights, download our Future Ready Laywer 2026 report, Confidence in an AI Era: Scaling AI Across Organizations. or register for the rest of the webinar series. 

TORONTO, March 13, 2026 – Thomson Reuters (TSX/Nasdaq: TRI) today filed its management proxy circular and related documents in connection with the upcoming special meeting at which shareholders will be asked to approve the proposed return of capital and share consolidation transactions, among other items. The management proxy circular and related documents are available online and for pick-up, as set out below.

The transactions consists of a special cash distribution of US$605 million in the aggregate, or approximately US$1.36 per common share (estimated based on the number of common shares issued and outstanding as of the record date and assuming no shareholders opt-out of the return of capital) followed by a consolidation of outstanding common shares (or “reverse stock split”) on a basis that is proportional to the special cash distribution. The share consolidation ratio will be based on the volume weighed average trading price of the common shares on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) for the five trading days immediately prior to the return of capital becoming effective.

The proposed return of capital is intended to distribute cash on a basis that is generally expected to be tax-free for Canadian tax purposes. Shareholders who are taxable in a jurisdiction outside of Canada (including taxable U.S. resident shareholders and others) (“Eligible Opt-Out Shareholders”) will be able to opt out of the return of capital. This right to opt out is being provided to those shareholders because in jurisdictions other than Canada the tax consequences of not participating in the return of capital may be preferable to those associated with participating in the return of capital. If an Eligible Opt-Out Shareholder chooses to opt out, it will not receive the cash distribution and will continue to hold the same number of shares that it currently holds.

Details of the transaction (including information regarding the opt-out right) are described in the management proxy circular and related materials, which are available on thomsonreuters.com in the “Investor Relations” section. The documents were filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR+ and are available at www.sedarplus.com.The documents will also be furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission through EDGAR and when filed, will be available at www.sec.gov. The documents will also be available for pick-up, free of charge, at Computershare Investor Services Inc.’s offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Please contact Computershare Investor Services Inc. using the phone numbers set out below for the addresses of those offices. 

The special meeting of shareholders will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. EDT (changed from the original planned time of 12:00 p.m.). The meeting will be a webcast on thomsonreuters.com in the “Investor Relations” section. Holders of Thomson Reuters common shares as of 5:00 p.m. EDT on March 6, 2026 are entitled to vote at the meeting.

Registered shareholders who have questions or need assistance voting their shares may contact Computershare Investor Services Inc. at 1.800.564.6253 (toll-free in Canada and the U.S.) or at 1.514.982.7555 (outside Canada and the U.S.). Non-registered shareholders who hold their shares indirectly through an intermediary (such as an investment dealer, stock broker, bank, trust company or other nominee) should contact their intermediary if they have questions or need assistance. Shareholders who have questions or need assistance may also contact D.F. King & Co., Inc., who is acting as Information Agent for the transaction, at 1.800.967.5068 (toll-free in Canada and the U.S.) or at 1.212.561.5870 (outside Canada and the U.S., banks, brokers and collect calls) or at the following email address: tri@dfking.com.

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters (TSX/Nasdaq: TRI) informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. The company serves professionals across legal, tax, audit, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Its products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s leading provider of trusted journalism and news. For more information, visit thomsonreuters.com.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relating to the return of capital and share consolidation transactions and the anticipated tax treatment for shareholders participating in the return of capital and those opting out. These forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, including shareholder approval of the transactions, and reflect our company’s current expectations. As a result, forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including the risk factors discussed in materials that Thomson Reuters from time to time files with, or furnishes to, the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. There is no assurance that the return of capital and share consolidation transactions will be completed or that other events described in any forward-looking statement will materialize. Except as may be required by applicable law, Thomson Reuters disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

CONTACTS

MEDIA

Zoe Zanettos

Director, Corporate Affairs

+1 647 202 8948

zoe.zanettos@thomsonreuters.com

INVESTORS

Gary E. Bisbee, CFA

Head of Investor Relations

+1 646 540 3249

gary.bisbee@thomsonreuters.com

Client Alert  |  March 13, 2026

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Stablecoins have moved from experimental rails to core market infrastructure, prompting regulators around the world to define who may issue them, how reserves must be held, and what rights users have upon redemption, among other things.

Across leading jurisdictions, common policy aims—payment stability and consumer protection—coexist with divergent approaches to licensing, prudential standards, disclosures, custody, and market conduct.

The United States is progressing through a patchwork of federal and state measures, but with the adoption of the GENIUS Act, there is increasing comfort that the U.S. will implement a clear regulatory framework. The European Union has adopted a comprehensive, passportable regime for cryptoassets and connected services. The United Kingdom is bringing crypto-assets, including stablecoins, within its regulatory framework. Hong Kong recently implemented a licensing regime for fiat-referenced stablecoin issuers. Singapore is finalizing a stablecoin framework emphasizing reserve quality, par-value redemption and disclosures. The United Arab Emirates supervises issuance, custody, and marketing through a mix of federal oversight and financial free-zone regimes. Other markets—from Japan and Switzerland to Canada, Australia, and Brazil—are likewise codifying rules that vary in scope, timing, and supervisory style.

For issuers, distributors, exchanges, and institutional users, regulatory differences across jurisdictions drive concrete choices, including where to domicile an issuing entity, how to structure reserves and attestations, product design, redemption procedures, listing and distribution strategies, contractual terms with partners, and contingency planning for stress events. Although the regulatory landscape continues to rapidly evolve, the sections that follow provide a snapshot view of the current United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore and UAE frameworks, and identify the operational implications for market participants.

A chart comparing the current regulatory regimes is provided in Appendix 1.

For ease of reference, a glossary of defined terms is available in Appendix 2.

Please view Gibson Dunn’s complete Cross-Border Guide at the following link:

Read More

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Gibson Dunn’s lawyers are available to assist with any questions you may have regarding these developments.

To learn more, please contact the Gibson Dunn lawyer with whom you usually work, the authors, or any leader or member of the firm’s Financial Institutions, Fintech & Digital Assets, or Financial Regulatory practice groups:

Ro Spaziani – New York (+1 212.351.6255, rspaziani@gibsondunn.com)

Jason J. Cabral – New York (+1 212.351.6267, jcabral@gibsondunn.com)

Hagen H. Rooke – Singapore (+65 6507 3620, hhrooke@gibsondunn.com)

Michelle M. Kirschner – London (+44 20 7071 4212, mkirschner@gibsondunn.com)

Sameera Kimatrai – Dubai (+971 4 318 4616, skimatrai@gibsondunn.com)

William R. Hallatt – Hong Kong (+852 2214 3836, whallatt@gibsondunn.com)

Jeffrey L. Steiner – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.887.3632, jsteiner@gibsondunn.com)

Sara K. Weed – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8507, sweed@gibsondunn.com)

Emily Rumble – Hong Kong (+852 2214 3839, erumble@gibsondunn.com)

© 2026 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.  All rights reserved.  For contact and other information, please visit us at www.gibsondunn.com.

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