Why Dickson Minto Chose Litera’s Lito to Deliver Faster, Tailored Advice to Clients

Why client value comes before software at Dickson Minto

Dickson Minto’s starting point when evaluating and selecting AI tools is never software-driven, it’s always client outcome and internal processes-driven, emphasises Michael Robertson, partner at Dickson Minto.

The law firm doesn’t only focus on how an AI solution can best support the productivity of its lawyers’ work. It’s also keenly aware of the technology’s potential to fuel long-term strategy. This is to make sure that we have a team of people here who know their clients inside out, Robertson explains.

He says that any Dickson Minto advice note will always be succinct, grounded in a deep understanding of its clients’ needs and will always include a clear recommendation, as opposed to being a lengthy description of options.

“The idea is for software and AI to allow us to move to that recommendation stage quicker and to make sure that clients get fully tailored advice quicker.” — Michael Robertson, Partner, Dickson Minto

Solution

The path to a speedy rollout

The firm has been engaging with AI solutions since 2022, but with several iterations from different providers failing to deliver on promises the firm turned to Litera’s Lito. After seeing a demo of the tool at a conference in June 2026, the firm began implementing in August in an ongoing deployment.

“We moved quickly because we recognised the huge power of the tool. One of the advantages is that if you’re working on a time-sensitive transaction, running draft documents through Lito means you can immediately surface any issues, which allows you to move quickly into the knowledge work involving the transaction rather than the admin tasks.” — Michael Robertson, Partner, Dickson Minto

Integration with the tools lawyers use every day

Frictionless implementation was high on the firm’s selection criteria for a tool; it goes a long way when driving uptake, Robertson explains. After seeing the demo, he was drawn to the fact that Litera and Lito were integrated with iManage, Outlook and Word — a quality that set the foundation for smooth implementation and sustained adoption.

“Integration with the platforms that our lawyers use every day means it’s very easy for them to drag documents into Lito and ask it to analyse them or run a playbook or create a table, which encourages them to use it more and develop their own ways of working.” — Michael Robertson, Partner, Dickson Minto

From test team to over half the firm in weeks

From there he recommended adoption to the firm’s IT team and other partners. Combined with an open culture that enables dynamic decision-making, familiarity and Litera’s sheer speed meant there was a quick turnaround. In a matter of weeks, Lito was deployed to a test team which has gradually expanded and now, over half the firm has used the tool.

Little need for formal training

There was little need for formal training — again strong integration benefited strategy. Having drag-and-drop functionality for documents has allowed people to say, “I’ll have a go at this because all I need to do is open the browser or app, drag some documents in and play around with it,” Robertson highlights.

“We find that people trying things out with software allows us to explore use cases better,” he adds.

Results

Big wins for client relationships

As well as taking on time-consuming or repetitive tasks like document review, the firm has started using Lito to review and benchmark work against its playbooks.

Less stress on time-sensitive work

Robertson also believes it removes some of the stress in time-sensitive tasks. He recalls how Lito summarised the provisions in a share purchase agreement (SPA) and built a table with advantages and disadvantages, cutting a job that can take upwards of four hours of mixed legal and admin work down to one hour of added legal value.

Fast, responsive support from Litera

He explains that efficiency didn’t stop at time-savings for tasks. Litera’s responsive and quick communication proved handy when overcoming obstacles in the implementation process — the firm flagged concern about where its data might be processed, and the issue was easily resolved within 48 hours over the phone and email.

A stronger connection with clients

As a firm that generally does very little advertising, due to a belief that the strongest recommendations are the personal ones, these pros are significant. By embracing technology that has allowed the firm’s lawyers to invest more time in client-facing work and understanding what clients need, Robertson feels that the firm’s connection with its clients is stronger.

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