TLDR: Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP has launched a new tool, the GenAI Persona Builder, designed to help general counsel and their teams assess their attitudes and engagement with generative AI. The tool aims to move beyond technical training by understanding behavioral factors that influence AI adoption within legal departments.
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP announced on Monday, September 22, 2025, the launch of its innovative “GenAI Persona Builder” tool. This new offering is designed to assist general counsel (GC) in evaluating their current utilization and perceptions of generative artificial intelligence (AI) within their legal departments. The initiative comes as law firms globally intensify their efforts to understand and meet client demands concerning the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
The GenAI Persona Builder functions by collecting comprehensive data on how general counsel and their respective teams interact with and perceive generative AI technology. Its core purpose is to provide legal departments with insights into the factors driving AI adoption and to help them formulate effective strategies to enhance the use of AI tools. The tool was developed by the firm’s dedicated legal operations advisory team, underscoring a strategic focus on practical AI integration.
Clara Garfield, head of legal operations advisory for the U.K., Europe, Middle East, and Africa within HSF Kramer’s digital legal delivery practice, emphasized the critical role of human factors in AI adoption. “Most efforts to accelerate generative AI adoption in the legal sector still center on technical training and mastering tools,” Garfield stated. “However, knowing how to use it is not always enough as diverse mindsets, behaviors and attitudes will impact engagement, productivity and, ultimately, performance.” She further elaborated, “Without that behavioral lens, adoption risks falling flat, because real engagement with GenAI is not just about capability, it is about connection.”
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The tool guides legal counsel through a structured questionnaire, meticulously designed to measure their level of support, curiosity, or skepticism regarding the application of generative AI in legal work. Based on their responses, each individual is categorized into one of eight distinct profile types. These profiles span a spectrum of attitudes, ranging from enthusiastic advocates who readily embrace new technologies to those who exhibit resistance to change. This granular understanding of attitudes is expected to enable more targeted and effective strategies for AI integration and change management within legal teams.
