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International law firm accelerates global ESG delivery and AI-powered legal automation with HSO
Using Microsoft Power Platform, Azure OpenAI and Copilot Studio programme, HSO transforms the creation of ESG insights and improves internal operations for one of the world’s top 10 law firms
HSO is delighted to announce the successful delivery of a firmwide AI and automation programme for one of the world’s top 10 law practices. Built on Microsoft Power Platform, Azure OpenAI and Copilot Studio, the programme is transforming how the firm’s 2,800+ legal professionals across more than 30 countries deliver Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) insight, manage internal operations and serve clients at scale.
Meeting a bold ambition securely and at scale
This global law firm set out to enhance both client-facing ESG services and internal operational efficiency. With clients requiring a current understanding of ESG regulations across more than 150 jurisdictions, lawyers typically spent several days manually researching legislation, analysing source material and producing written summaries. This process was simply too time-consuming. The firm needed to streamline site setup, reporting workflows, user access management and repetitive tasks, all within a highly locked-down, security-sensitive environment, with no in-house development support.
An integrated, Microsoft-first solution
Working with HSO’s Professional Services team, the law firm deployed an integrated suite of Microsoft solutions to address this challenge. A new ESG Regulatory Tracker and AI-driven ESG Copilot, powered by Azure OpenAI, now read source legislation, generate a 300-word summary and 150-word commentary, and then return a draft for lawyer review, while feeding approved content directly into the firmwide ESG library. A dedicated Power App, supported by Microsoft Copilot and Encodian, automates legislative content workflows. This has reduced manual input by 80%.
A new Copilot Studio chatbot, “HighQ Assistant,” now serves thousands of employees through Microsoft Teams, automating HighQ site setup, user access, site closure and billing, which is all integrated with iManage and SAP. This new chatbot deployment places the organisation among the first legal firms in the world to operationalise Copilot Studio at scale. HSO has also modernised the firm’s legacy UiPath automations onto a Power Automate Desktop to deliver a UK Bills Tracker, Email Query Database and the in-development ELPG Tribunals system.
Measurable impact and substantial outcomes
The combined programme has delivered substantial outcomes, including:
30% reduction in ESG research time
3 times more ESG content created
150% increase in depth of commentary
More than 3 million words of ESG analysis produced across 150 jurisdictions
80% reduction in manual ESG reporting tasks
AI and automation are adopted by thousands of employees globally
This client had a bold ambition: to bring AI and automation into the heart of a global legal practice, securely and at scale, without compromising on governance or quality. By combining our deep Microsoft expertise with industry sector knowledge, we’ve helped them turn days of manual research into minutes of AI-assisted insight and given thousands of employees a Copilot-powered way of working – every single day. This is exactly what the Microsoft platform was built to do, and we’re proud to be their partner on this innovative journey.
Looking ahead
The company is now exploring Power Pages to extend services externally, including a Diversity Data Portal, to further enhance client engagement and continue the firm’s evolution into an AI-powered legal innovator. Learn more about how we support the legal industry.