Every time someone mentions "artificial intelligence" in a partners' meeting, there's an awkward moment. Some nod as if they understand perfectly. Others check their phones. And there's always someone who says "yes, that's all very well, but we practice tax law, not technology."
If you identify with that last person, this article is for you.
I'm not going to explain what an algorithm is, how neural networks work, or why machine learning is different from deep learning. None of that matters for what you need to know. What matters is what this technology can do for your firm and what it can't do. Nothing more.
The problem isn't the technology, it's how they explain it to you
Most conversations about AI in the legal sector make the same mistake: they assume you need to understand how it works to be able to use it.
That's not true.
You don't need to know how your car's engine works to drive it. You don't need to understand TCP/IP protocols to send an email. And you don't need to comprehend what's inside an artificial intelligence tool to benefit from what it does.
The problem is that those selling these solutions are usually technical people who enjoy talking about technology. And those writing about the topic want to seem sophisticated. The result is a wall of jargon that makes the legal professional feel like this isn't for them.
But it is for you. You just need someone to explain it in terms of what you do every day.
What AI actually does in a tax firm
Forget academic definitions. In practical terms, automation and AI tools applied to a tax firm do very concrete things:
They automate client communication. Deadline reminders that send themselves. Documentation requests that go out automatically when it's time. Receipt confirmations without anyone having to write an email. Follow-ups that trigger if the client doesn't respond within X days. All that back-and-forth emailing that consumes hours of your team's time can work without manual intervention, freeing up time for conversations that actually require judgment.
They organize the document chaos. Every client is a folder, every folder is a mess. Documents arriving by email, by WhatsApp, as scanned paper. Versions overwriting each other, files nobody can find, information duplicated in three different places. A well-implemented system centralizes everything, classifies it automatically, and makes it accessible in seconds. No more "hold on while I look for that document" while the client waits on the phone.
They simplify information exchange with clients. Instead of emails requesting documents and responses with messy attachments, the client accesses a space where they know exactly what they need to upload, can see the status of their filings, and receives notifications when something requires their attention. Less friction for them, less chasing for you.
They eliminate repetitive tasks that don't require thinking. Updating spreadsheets with data that already exists somewhere else. Copying information from one system to another. Generating the same report every month with different data. These are tasks someone on your team does on autopilot, and precisely for that reason they're perfect for a machine to handle.
They can help analyze and process information. This is where more advanced AI comes in: tools that read documents, extract relevant data, identify patterns in your client portfolio, or suggest responses based on previous queries. They don't replace your judgment, but they give you better-organized information to make decisions.
That's it. There's no magic, no science fiction. They're tools that do specific tasks faster and with fewer errors than people.
What AI can't do
This is where many expectations crash into reality.
AI cannot exercise the professional judgment you've spent years developing. It can give you organized information, but the decision of what to recommend to the client is still yours. It can identify a pattern, but interpreting whether that pattern is relevant to a specific situation requires your experience.
It cannot manage the client relationship. It can help you respond faster, but the client still needs to talk to you when they have doubts, when they're worried, when they need someone to explain what all this means for their business.
It cannot adapt to the unexpected. AI tools work well with situations that resemble what they've seen before. When something new appears—a recent tax reform, an atypical situation, an unprecedented case—you need a professional who thinks.
And it cannot assume responsibility. At the end of the day, the one who signs is you. The tool is exactly that: a tool. Like a very sophisticated calculator. Useful, but not accountable.
Why this should matter to you even if you're "not a tech person"
There's an uncomfortable reality that many senior professionals prefer to ignore: firms adopting these tools aren't doing so because they like technology. They're doing it because they're gaining competitive advantage.
They respond faster. They make fewer errors on routine tasks. They free up their team's time for work that actually requires judgment. And they can serve more clients without proportionally more staff.
You don't have to become a technology expert. You don't have to understand the technical details. But you do need to understand what's possible, so you can make informed decisions about your firm.
The alternative is staying out of the conversation and letting others decide for you. Or worse, assuming this doesn't apply to your practice while your competitors discover that it does apply to theirs.
Where to start if all this feels overwhelming
Don't start with technology. Start with the problem.
Identify a specific task that consumes disproportionate time at your firm. Something repetitive, predictable, that doesn't require the judgment that makes you valuable as a professional. Deadline tracking, routine client communication, document organization.
Once you're clear on the problem, finding the solution is much simpler. You're no longer evaluating "AI tools" in the abstract. You're looking for something that solves that specific problem.
And when you talk to vendors, don't let them overwhelm you with jargon. If they can't explain in two minutes what their tool does and how it helps you, they probably don't have it clear themselves. The best solutions are the ones that are easy to explain.
One last thing
Technology isn't going to replace you. You already know that, even if the news sometimes says otherwise.
But professionals who use these tools well will have advantages over those who don't. Not because they're better tax experts, but because they'll have more time to be one.
The question isn't whether you should be interested in this. It's how much longer you're going to wait before you do.
Want to understand which tools would apply to your firm without having to become a technology expert? We can help you identify where the greatest potential for improvement lies and which solutions fit your way of working.