Introduction
As legal practitioners increasingly navigate a technology-driven landscape, the governance bodies that lead our profession must evolve accordingly. Recent research from MIT's Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) offers compelling evidence that boards with digitally and AI savvy directors significantly outperform their peers—insights that translate directly to legal governance bodies such as bar associations, law societies, and chambers committees.
The Digital Imperative for Legal Governance
MIT CISR's 2025 research demonstrates that organizations with three or more digitally and AI savvy directors achieve substantially better performance outcomes than their counterparts (Weill, Woerner, Banner & Moore, 2025). For legal governance bodies like bar councils, law society committees, and professional association boards, this research carries profound implications for effective leadership in an increasingly digital legal landscape.
The research reveals a critical threshold: "When we had one digitally savvy board member, it didn't change us much. When we had two, they talked mostly to each other... But when we had three directors, digital became part of every board conversation" (Weill et al., 2025). This suggests that for legal committees, ensuring at least three members possess digital and AI savviness would transform the committee's approach to technology-related decisions.
What Digital Savviness Means for Legal Committees
For legal governance bodies, digital savviness extends beyond basic technological literacy. It encompasses:
Understanding AI's impact on legal practice: Comprehending how generative AI and machine learning are transforming legal research, document review, and case prediction
Digital business models: Recognizing how technology enables new service delivery models and client engagement approaches
Cybersecurity governance: Appreciating the unique security challenges facing legal organizations and their ethical obligations to protect client data
Digital transformation leadership: Guiding the profession through technological change while preserving core legal values
The MIT research indicates that by 2024, basic digital literacy had become "table stakes" rather than a differentiator. The new benchmark focuses on emerging technologies—particularly artificial intelligence—with only 26% of boards qualifying as "digitally and AI savvy" (Weill et al., 2025).
Strategic Committee Structure for Legal Governance
For legal governance bodies, the research suggests several structural approaches to enhance digital governance:
1. Technology Subcommittee
Creating a dedicated technology subcommittee can ensure focused attention on digital issues. As one director in the MIT study noted: "Prior to the inception of the tech and innovation committee, there was very little strategic time for technology issues... Now, in the tech and innovation committee, 80 percent of the meeting time is spent on strategic issues" (Weill et al., 2025).
For legal bodies, this might involve establishing a subcommittee focused on:
Evaluating technology platforms that enhance member-client connections
Assessing AI tools for legal research and practice management
Developing digital competency standards for members
2. Strategic Digital Focus Areas
The research identified three key areas where digitally savvy boards focused their attention:
Cybersecurity
Talent
Technology and digital products
For legal governance bodies, these translate to:
Cybersecurity: Protecting sensitive client information and ensuring compliance with privacy regulations
Talent: Attracting digitally proficient legal practitioners and supporting current members' digital upskilling
Technology services: Developing platforms that enhance member services and client engagement
Building Digital Savviness in Legal Governance
To enhance the digital savviness of legal governance bodies, consider these strategies drawn from the MIT research:
1. Deliberate Committee Composition
As Schneider Electric's approach demonstrates, methodical committee building is essential: "We built the board across the buckets that we think are essential... knowledge of our business... Number two, of course, is digital—and we have world-class experts of digital in our board" (Weill et al., 2025).
For legal committees, this might involve:
Identifying members with technology backgrounds or experience implementing digital solutions
Recruiting committee members with specific digital expertise
Ensuring diversity of technological perspectives across different practice areas
2. Continuous Education
The MIT research emphasizes education as a key strategy: "Bring in outside speakers to board meetings, provide technology demonstrations, and develop board education programs" (Weill et al., 2025).
For legal governance bodies, this could include:
Regular briefings on emerging legal technologies
Demonstrations of AI tools relevant to legal practice
Workshops on digital business models for legal service delivery
3. Strategic Partnerships
Engaging with technology partners helps governance bodies stay current: "Engage with tech partners such as universities, ventures groups, and start-up accelerators to stay on top of new technologies and trends" (Weill et al., 2025).
For legal committees, potential partnerships might include:
Legal technology startups developing practitioner-focused solutions
Law school innovation centers researching the future of legal practice
Technology consultants specializing in the legal sector
4. Agenda Prioritization
The research advises: "When setting up a board agenda, prioritize on why, not how; how takes too much time" (Weill et al., 2025).
For legal committees, this means focusing discussions on:
Strategic implications of technology for the profession
How digital tools align with member needs and professional values
Long-term technological vision rather than implementation details
Conclusion
For leaders of legal governance bodies, ensuring committees develop digital and AI savviness represents a strategic imperative rather than a mere operational concern. The MIT CISR research clearly demonstrates that governance bodies with sufficient digital expertise significantly outperform their peers.
By deliberately building digital savviness among at least three committee members, establishing focused technology governance structures, and implementing continuous digital education, legal governance bodies can position themselves at the forefront of technological adaptation in the legal profession.
In an era where technology is fundamentally transforming legal practice, governance bodies that develop digital savviness will be best positioned to guide their members through this evolution while preserving the core values that define our profession.
* Note: This Blog was written entirely using Perplexity Pro Claude Sonnet 3.7 to demonstrate how Gen AI can analyse an article and create material about being digitally savvy on committees of legal bodies. No changes have been made to the content. The material is published for educational purposes.