The future of professional services will be shaped not just by the adoption of digital tools but by how well professionals understand them.
That was the message from guests on the inaugural episode of The Wales Tech Week Podcast – Advising the Future: Innovation at the Core of Professional Services.
As technology continues to advance at pace, legal, financial and accountancy firms are being urged to invest not just in new platforms, but in the education needed to use them effectively.
Rupert Poole, Chief Technology Officer at Hugh James, said the Cardiff-headquartered law firm had spent the last 18 months rolling out AI and machine learning across its teams. But he stressed that the firm’s focus wasn’t on training staff in how to use a single system, but on helping them understand the broader potential of digital tools.
“This isn’t about training, this is about educating people,” Rupert said.
“When it comes to technology, colleagues need to understand where it fits well and where it doesn’t. Innovation has to have a purpose.”
Working with PwC, Hugh James ran a pilot with almost 200 staff to explore how digital tools could be used more effectively. Within 11 weeks, 91% of participants reported feeling more productive, with technology helping to reduce repetitive work and create more time for client-focused activity.
Rupert said the key to this success was not simply applying technology to existing workflows, but rethinking those workflows altogether.
“It's not just about taking the process as it is and rebuilding it with technology,” he said.
“It's about actually looking at that process and saying, ‘How can I change this to make it a better experience for our clients?’”
The result, he believes, is a better service for clients and a more fulfilling role for professionals. But he also warned that not moving forward comes with risks.
“I’ve seen a lot of fads over 25 years,” he said.
“But what we’re seeing now with generative AI and similar tools — it’s not a fad. It’s here.
“As my colleague recently said: ‘You don’t have to be brave to adopt this technology. You have to be brave not to’.”
That sentiment was echoed by Sarah Curzon, a partner at accountancy firm MHA. She described the implementation of a new document-signing system that initially met with scepticism from clients and colleagues alike but quickly proved its worth.
“Now they all say how much easier it is, how great it is on their phones, how they don’t have to log into anything,” Sarah said.
“But you need that buy-in at the beginning. People have to understand why you’re changing something.”
She added that concerns around cyber security were a recurring theme both internally and among clients, and that firms had a responsibility to provide reassurance alongside innovation.
At Cardiff-based financial services firm Cornerstone Finance Group, digital tools are seen as a way to support, not replace, the human relationship at the heart of their business.
Martyn Lamb, Director of Performance and Transformation, said:
“There’s an assumption in financial services that technology is there to replace humans. That’s not the case in our world. Technology is there to support human interaction and make it easier.”
Cornerstone supports a nationwide network of mortgage and protection advisers. By offering best practice processes and tools combined with ongoing support, the Group helps advisers focus more on client relationships and less on admin.
But with advisers spanning a wide range of ages and experiences, one size doesn’t fit all.
“We can’t just put a technology in place and say, ‘You’ve all got to deal with it,’” Martyn said.
“We have to support people according to their needs, whether that’s visual, audio, neurodivergent, or anything else.”
He added that continuous professional development was essential in keeping up with rapid change, particularly when it comes to data protection.
“If they have one data leak, it could be catastrophic for them and their clients,” he said.
Rupert agreed that education should begin before professionals enter the workplace. He pointed to partnerships with King’s College London and Cardiff University, where students are being taught to use generative AI tools and explore legal tech as part of their degree programmes.
He said candidates with digital literacy would increasingly have the edge in recruitment, adding: “If you’ve got two candidates, and one understands AI or legal tech and the other doesn’t, it’s clear who’s more favourable.”
These themes – from digital skills and cyber risk to client expectations and workplace adoption – are set to continue at Wales Tech Week, where professional services will be among the sectors exploring the impact of technology on service delivery. Find out more here: https://www.walestechweek.com/
Listen to The Wales Tech Week Podcast – Advising the Future: Innovation at the Core of Professional Services here.
