How Mid-Market UK Legal Firms Are Using AI Document Review and Where the SRA Draws the Line
AI-powered document review has moved from Magic Circle experiment to mid-market reality. 93 per cent of mid-sized UK law firms report using AI in at least one workflow, and platforms like Luminance, Harvey AI, iManage RAVN, and Thomson Reuters CoCounsel claim 50 to 90 per cent reductions in contract review time. But the regulatory picture is tightening. The SRA expects COLPs to take direct responsibility for AI compliance, and its December 2025 thematic review found that compliance officers at 25 out of 36 firms could not describe more than half of their regulatory obligations. The Law Society has called for practical guidance to help solicitors interpret existing rules in light of new technology, and the SRA is preparing a GenAI FAQ and Good Practice Note on AI use and client data. This article compares the four main AI document review platforms on capability, pricing transparency, and UK data handling, maps the SRA's compliance requirements, and provides a practical checklist for mid-market firms considering adoption.