Structural AI governance to eliminate regulatory risk and unlock AI's true speed.

Brokers including Howden and Kennedys report underwriters now asking, this renewal cycle, how AI is used across the firm, what governance sits around it, and whether staff have been trained (Today's Conveyancer, 2 July 2026). The market isn't panicking on price — it's differentiating: affirmative cover with conditions for firms who can evidence governance, exclusions where use looks uncontrolled. Tier 1 is, concretely, the evidence pack that answers all three questions before your broker has to ask twice.

Across the firms we talk to, fee-earners commonly copy-paste leasehold packs and completion statements into free ChatGPT to meet exchange deadlines — usually undetected until someone looks. Worth checking directly: is any of it logged? Does any of it carry a zero-retention guarantee? If your PI underwriter asked tomorrow, do you have an answer ready?

LEAP, Clio, Osprey and Redbrick all ship native AI features enabled on most plans. Worth confirming with your provider whether yours is one of them, and whether a signed Zero Data Retention addendum actually covers it — without one, you may not be able to demonstrate to the SRA that client data isn't routed to a vendor's standard processing.

SRA Code Paragraph 3.5 requires solicitors to "effectively supervise work being done for clients" — including AI-assisted work. As COLP, you need a documented written rationale on file that demonstrates how that supervision is happening. Without one, an audit puts your licence at risk, not just the firm's.