In an AI Future: Trust Is the right ingredient
Why the Legal Sector’s AI Future Depends on People, Not Just Tech
The latest thought leadership write up from SuperTech’s WM LawTech Forum with guest, Oxford Brookes University
In the fast-moving world of LegalTech, there’s one truth we can’t ignore: innovation isn’t being held back by technology — it’s being held back by trust. We’ve reached a point where generative AI tools are ready to reshape legal practice. Yet for many law firms, the real challenge isn’t figuring out what AI can do — it’s deciding whether to rely on it.
For this latest LawTech Forum we invited one of our collaborator partners Dr. Francisco Trincado Munoz, Senior Lecturer in Business Analytics at Oxford Brookes University and a lead researcher on the UKRI-funded Technology in Professional Services (TiPS) Accelerator Programme. Our Forum members were able to explore and share insights relating to his work investigating not just the technology behind legal AI, but the human systems that will determine whether or not adoption endures and delivers.
Our legal technologist professional community is clear: ignoring GenAI is not an option. The opportunity is real — AI that empowers rather than replaces. According to Thomson Reuters, over 80% of lawyers believe AI has a place in their work. But here’s the catch — few feel ready to use it. Why? Because adoption isn’t just about the tech. It’s fundamentally about the most human of traits: trust. And in a sector built on precision, accountability and judgment, trust is non-negotiable. Dr. Francisco Trincado-Munoz led with a simple but powerful truth: behind every technical system is a human system. His research surfaced four pillars essential for meaningful Legal Tech adoption: the right mindset, space for real engagement, active change management, and visible wins. Without these, transformation stalls. With them, trust grows — in the tools, the teams, and the process. This is the foundation for future-ready firms.
Trust is the real differentiator in GenAI adoption — and yet it’s rarely explicitly talked about. Legal professionals need to understand not just what a tool does, but how it works, yet this is a far higher barrier to overcome with generative AI If they can’t explain it, they won’t rely on it — and they certainly won’t stake their professional reputation on it. So how to deconstruct this conundrum in the pursuit of AI rewards?
Dr Francisco Trincado Munoz explained how trust is built in layers: through clarity on the tech, but also confidence in their own judgment, and influence from peers they respect. We’re also seeing how personal experience with AI tools outside the office subtly shapes openness to innovation at work. But this also brings additional risks in that over-trust is just as dangerous as resistance. At all times, AI isn’t a silver bullet; rather it is a system that needs to be understood, questioned, and tested. This is one of the primary reasons why SuperTech is such a champion and leader for creating safe spaces for experimentation. The most forward-thinking firms are already creating room to try, fail, and learn. This is where curiosity becomes confidence — and where confidence fuels lasting change
Once a firm appreciates that transformation doesn’t flow from titles, but flows through trust, this can radically shift the approach to accelerating adoption throughout a firm. For example, one of the strongest insights from the TiPs accelerator project performed network analysis which highlighted that while firms often appoint formal “innovation champions,” real influence comes from the informal connectors — those ‘go-to’ colleagues people turn to when navigating change. These are the hidden drivers of adoption, and for innovation to stick, identifying these connectors, supporting them, and letting them lead from where they are is powerful lever. “It’s not about top-down or even bottom up: it’s about trusted, peer-led momentum,”- Dr Francisco Trincado-Munoz.
Nonetheless, it is an unavoidable truth that trust in the tech still lags behind trust in people. In a world where legal leaders are being pitched GenAI tools daily and yet many feel unprepared to vet and make informed decisions, collectively we’re calling on vendors to match ambition with greater transparency. To help, the Oxford Brookes team through the TiPs Accelerator is offering measurable frameworks that legal and professional services firms can use to benchmark behaviour, assess cultural readiness, and track AI adoption with clarity. The tools take firms through, research defined, nine key metrics offering a tangible way to prove progress — not just talk about it.
And the momentum is building. We’re proud to support this work and invite more firms across the West Midlands to join us. Because this is our moment. The West Midlands has always led revolutions — industrial, digital, professional. Now, with AI in our hands, we have the chance to lead again. Success will come from building trust, empowering people, and creating space for change, as we’ve seen via our LawTech Innovation Challege programme. At SuperTech, we’re not just watching the future unfold. We’re engineering it — together.
Want to be part of the next stage of LegalTech adoption research?
Funded by the Innovation Research Caucus, Dr Trincado-Munoz' team is currently inviting new firms to join the next phase of research. If your organisation is serious about navigating GenAI with confidence, collaboration and clarity — we want to hear from you.
Get in touch via SuperTech: Hello@SuperTechwm.com or contact Dr. Francisco Trincado Munoz at Oxford Brookes University directly, ftrincado-munoz@brookes.ac.uk
If you are interested in being a part of the discussion and joining the WM LawTech forum, visit SuperTech WM to apply.