Do you remember when attorneys resisted the internet?
In the 90s, 2000s, 2010s...
You had a phone number and your name on a sign.
Some referrals from a chiropractor.
The Yellow Pages.
And when someone first told you about websites...
You probably rolled your eyes at first.
You thought, "Clients don't find lawyers online...
My cases come from relationships...
I'm not some billboard firm."
Then one day...
A client mentioned they found another firm on Google.
A competitor launched a slick site.
You Googled your own name and found... nothing.
That was the moment...
Not because you suddenly loved the internet.
But because you realized you had to be online now.
Can you imagine skipping this mandatory part of marketing in 2026?
But that's not the only time lawyers had to adjust to new tech.
It happened again with Zoom.
At first it felt ridiculous.
"You want me to take a deposition over a webcam?
This isn't real practice.
I'll wait this out."
Then the pandemic happened and courts closed.
Opposing counsel sent a Zoom link.
Clients expected video calls.
Podcast and media appearances could only happen online.
And you downloaded it... and figured it out.
Now you use video software without a second thought.
Same with case management software.
There was a time when everything was in physical folders...
Sticky notes and manila envelopes...
Someone said you need Clio...
Filevine...
Needles.
And you thought, "We're fine. Everything works great the way it is."
Until you weren't fine anymore.
Something slipped through the cracks.
Volume increased and you couldn't see the whole board anymore.
And all your competitors were using it.
That's when software stopped being optional.
It became part of your infrastructure.
On Tuesday, we talked about having control of your firm.
And that internal conflict over new tech adoption...
"I hate the idea of AI...
But I don't want to be the last one figuring it out."
This is that moment again.
Not because AI is trendy...
That's what it may look like right now.
But firms are making the same mistake they always make during a big technology shift:
They treat it like an optional tool...
Instead of including it in their infrastructure.
So they tinker with it randomly...
"Whenever I get to it" vibes.
They delegate it without direction...
Or... they wait until they're forced to deal with it.
But that's how you lose control.
Not because the tech is so powerful that it overtakes you...
But because you tried to casually adopt it without a framework.
Now, this is important:
Every new tech adoption follows a predictable arc.
Resistance
Experimentation
Integration
Institutionalization
The firms who move deliberately through those stages build leverage.
They get ahead instead of scrambling.
We've been tracking this pattern for years across every major tech update in PI firms.
And it's happening again.
On Saturday, we're breaking down the exact model we use to help firms adopt disruptive tech without the circus...
And how it applies directly to AI.
AI isn't some alien invasion.
It's another necessary tech update.
It may be revolutionary, but so was the internet...
So was Zoom and case management software.
And there's a predictable structure for adopting it without losing control.
Our next issue will show you how to plug into it...
So you skip the painful drag most firms are about to go through.
See you then.
P.S. If you want a clearer picture of what’s happening…
See what we’ve been tracking the last few weeks.
AI sanctions…
VC-backed law firms…
300+ PI firms admitting what’s really happening…
The intake gaps no one wants to talk about.
It’s all here:
Go read a few.
Then decide if you want to stay ahead of this.
If you’d like to be considered for a feature in an upcoming issue of The PI Brief…
Hit reply with the word “feature.”
We’ll send over a few quick questions.
No cost or pitch.
Just spotlighting PI firms doing great work.
Or if you prefer, join the feature waitlist here:
Until next time,
-The PI Brief