To win clients and cases these days, it’s not enough to have a firm brimming with brilliant legal minds. To gain and maintain the advantage both inside and outside of the courtroom, smart law firms are optimizing their talent with technology that helps them quickly access the most relevant, current, complete and accurate legal information.

This is why Larson O’Brien, LLP, a Los Angeles-based boutique litigation firm, is embracing Westlaw Edge, the latest advancement from Thomson Reuters. Its artificial intelligence, built upon more than a century of attorney-edited annotations, gives Westlaw Edge unprecedented and unparalleled power to provide the fastest answers and most valuable insights that deliver the strategic advantage. That’s critical to Larson O’Brien, because they pride themselves on their speed and agility in responding to clients, and their ability to take on the biggest law firms – and win.

“As a litigation boutique, we’ve always known that we can go up against the big firms and provide the same or better level of representation and service that they do,” says Jonathan Phillips, a Larson O’Brien partner. “But we’ve also known that because we’re a smaller firm, we have to be more efficient and take advantage of all of the technological advancements that are out there. So, when we found out about Westlaw Edge and its new, enhanced features, it was a very easy decision to make the switch.”

The efficiency of Westlaw Edge has contributed to the fact that Larson O’Brien has yet to be defeated at trial, according to Andrew Joseph Bedigian, an associate there.

“The cost savings for the clients, the efficiency in our research, our results – being undefeated at trial – I think that is in no small part due to the fact that we have the latest technology like Westlaw Edge to help us achieve our goals, both internally as a law firm and for our clients,” he explains.

He offers a point of evidence to support his reasoning: Westlaw Edge Litigation Analytics.

“The ability to know the tendencies of a judge even before you go into the courtroom is a huge advantage for our clients and for the attorneys working on the matter,” he explains. “We’re able to analyze a judge’s tendencies, how long they take to rule on a motion, and their leanings or preference with respect to how they decide certain issues.

The truth is that even if a firm has the most talented team on the planet but doesn’t support them with technology, they’re going to fall behind firms that do provide it. That’s because, for lawyers and legal teams, up-to-date, best-in-class technology is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a requirement for doing business.

Furthermore, firms that embrace technology will be better positioned to attract the best and brightest because they know they’ll have the tools to achieve the wins that build reputation. The McKinsey Global Institute concurs. In a report published a few months ago, they say that advanced artificial-intelligence adopters will have a competitive edge in hiring the right people.

It’s no wonder that, according to the report, organizations which embrace artificial intelligence will see their cash flow double by 2030; in contrast, those that don’t could lose 20% of their revenue by then.

What will the future hold for your firm? Growth or decline? It all depends on your technology decisions today. Make the smartest ones. Request a Westlaw Edge FREE Litigation Analytics Report with demo or, a Westlaw Edge Free Trial.  Check it out today for your most successful tomorrow.

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Amy Larson is a Director in Small Law Firm Customer Marketing at Thomson Reuters. She has over 17 years of experience in technology marketing with extensive focus on learning how technology can meet the needs of attorneys. Amy has been involved in numerous product launches throughout her tenure, public relations efforts, interviewing customers and telling their stories, and often writes and distributes information on how legal technology can help small law firms with their practice of law and law firm management responsibilities.