8%About 1 in 10of solo legal professionals had adopted AI widely or universally in 2024, against 35% at larger firms
In Clio's June 2024 survey, only 8% of solo and 4% of small-firm legal professionals had adopted AI widely or universally, although 72% and 67% used it in some capacity. At larger firms, 85% used AI and 35% used it widely. It is a vendor survey of 1,028 US legal professionals.
Vendor dataChecked at source, 23 Oct 2026SmallUSALaw firm marketing · AI adoption
Legal professionals using AI, by firm size (June 2024)
Group
Use AI in some capacity
Adopted AI widely or universally
Solo
72%
8%
Small firms
67%
4%
Larger firms
85%
35%
Source: Clio (Themis Solutions Inc.), Legal Trends Report and Legal Trends for Solo, Small and Mid-Sized Law FirmsClio survey of 1,028 US legal professionals, 5-23 June 2024.digitaltreed.com/statistics
In plain words
What this number really says
Most small-firm lawyers had tried AI by mid-2024, but very few used it across their work.
72%
of solo legal professionals used AI in some capacity
8%
of solos had adopted it widely or universally
35%
of larger firms had adopted it widely
Why you can trust it. Vendor survey by Clio of 1,028 US legal professionals, 5-23 June 2024, published in its 2025 solo and small firm report.
Key terms
Some capacity Any use of AI in the practice, even occasional.
Widely or universally AI used across most or all of the firm's work.
Legal professionals Lawyers plus support staff such as paralegals and administrators.
The same 8% means something different for each group.
Solo lawyers
8%Wide use
Few solos use AI across their work, so there is room to gain time on routine tasks.
Larger firms
35%Wide use
Larger firms were four times more likely than solos to use AI widely.
Gains and risks
What firms gain, and what can go wrong
Numbers from studies and surveys, each with its source.
Gains
61%
of solo users name saving time and increasing efficiency as the top benefit of AIClio, 2025 solo and small firm report (2024 survey)
Risks
57%
of solo users rely on generic non-legal AI tools such as ChatGPTClio, 2025 solo and small firm report (2024 survey)
The future
What this number says about what comes next
Forecasts below are made by others and linked to where they were published. Our own reading of the data is marked as ours.
Our reading, not a forecast
What the data suggests
Our reading. The 2026 Clio report shows 71% of solos using AI for legal work. Wider use, not first use, is the next step.
What to watch next
Whether Clio's next report repeats the 'widely or universally' question so the depth of use can be compared
The data
All the numbers in one table
As published by Clio (Themis Solutions Inc.), Legal Trends Report and Legal Trends for Solo, Small and Mid-Sized Law Firms, Jun 2024 survey. Standard errors are shown where the source gives them.
Firm size
Use AI in some capacity
Adopted AI widely or universally
Solo
72%
8%
Small
67%
4%
Larger firms
85%
35%
Method and use
How it was measured, and how to use it
How it was measured
Publisher
Clio (Themis Solutions Inc.), Legal Trends Report and Legal Trends for Solo, Small and Mid-Sized Law Firms
Source type
Vendor data: A company measuring its own customers or panel
What it measures
8% of solo legal professionals had adopted AI widely or universally in 2024, against 35% at larger firms
Data period
Jun 2024 survey (ends 23 Jun 2024)
Published by the source
8 Apr 2026
Who is counted
1,028 US legal professionals (lawyers and support staff) surveyed 5-23 June 2024
In the source's words
72% of solo legal professionals and 67% of small firm legal professionals are using AI in some capacity in their practice. However, only 8% of solos and 4% of small firms have adopted AI widely or universally.
Checked at source
23 Oct 2026: Read on clio.com solo and small firm highlights page (updated 8 Apr 2026). Larger-firm figures (85% some use, 35% wide) are on the same page.
Reuse
Copyright Clio; short quotes with attribution. Vendor research from a legal software company that sells AI tools. Cite as Clio and link the report.
Next expected update
Yearly (Clio (Themis Solutions Inc.), yearly (full report usually in October; solo/small and mid-sized editions in spring))
No changes recorded yet. First checked at the source on 23 Oct 2026.
Cite this number
APA
Clio (Themis Solutions Inc.). (2026). 8% of solo legal professionals had adopted AI widely or universally in 2024, against 35% at larger firms. Via digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/law-firm-marketing/solo-wide-ai-adoption-2024
MLA
"8% of solo legal professionals had adopted AI widely or universally in 2024, against 35% at larger firms." Clio (Themis Solutions Inc.), Legal Trends Report and Legal Trends for Solo, Small and Mid-Sized Law Firms, Jun 2024 survey. digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/law-firm-marketing/solo-wide-ai-adoption-2024.
HTML link
<a href="https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/law-firm-marketing/solo-wide-ai-adoption-2024">8% of solo legal professionals had adopted AI widely or universally in 2024, against 35% at larger firms</a> (Clio (Themis Solutions Inc.), Jun 2024 survey)
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<iframe src="https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/embed/law-firm-ai-depth-by-size" width="640" height="420" loading="lazy" title="Legal professionals using AI, by firm size (June 2024)"></iframe>
<p>Source: <a href="https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/law-firm-marketing/solo-wide-ai-adoption-2024">8% of solo legal professionals had adopted AI widely or universally in 2024, against 35% at larger firms, digitaltreed</a></p>
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FAQ
Questions about this number
How many solo lawyers use AI?
72% of solo legal professionals used AI in some capacity in June 2024, but only 8% had adopted it widely or universally (Clio).
Do larger law firms use AI more?
Yes. 85% of larger firms used AI and 35% used it widely, against 8% wide use for solos and 4% for small firms.
What AI tools do small law firms use?
Generic tools lead: 57% of solo and 54% of small-firm users used generic non-legal AI tools such as ChatGPT, followed by legal research platforms (54% and 56%).
Is this the latest data?
No. This is a June 2024 survey. Clio's May 2026 report gives 71% of solos and 75% of small firms using AI for legal work, but does not repeat the wide-use split.
Related
More Law firm marketing statistics
Vendor dataSmallUSA
71%
of US solo practitioners use AI to complete legal work, per Clio's 2026 solo and small firm report
Sample: Clio survey of US legal professionals plus anonymised Clio platform data; sample size not stated in the release
