On Premises AI for Solicitors: The Machine in the Firm
Firms ask two things about an on-premises system: what exactly is in the building, and who runs it. Both have short answers. One machine on your network, and us.
£500 per month for the software and the hardware rental. You rent the machine — you don’t buy it.
On premises AI for solicitors is a dedicated AI machine installed in the firm that searches, summarises and drafts against matter files, correspondence and precedents, with privileged material staying inside the building. It does not connect to the case management system and never gives legal advice. We specify, install and support it.
Find out what machine law firms need
A short call with a partner or the COLP. We will walk through exactly what is in the building and who runs it.
One machine in the firm, running private chat, document spaces and assistants. Matter files never leave the office.
Cloud Agents for Intake, Local AI for the Matter Files
New-client calls and the general enquiries inbox carry little that is privileged, so firms run those on our hosted agents and keep client files on a Local AI machine in the office.
- ☁ Cloud-based AI Receptionist
- ☁ Cloud-based Email Manager
- ☁ Cloud-based Leads Outreach
- 🏢 On-premise Local AI
On-Premises Versus Cloud Versus Building Your Own
Three routes to the same goal for law firms. Only one leaves you without a server to look after.
| Cloud AI subscription | Build your own on premise AI server | Our on-premises AI in the firm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where your documents are processed | The provider’s servers | Your building | Your building |
| Hardware | None | You research, buy and configure it | One machine, sized for you and rented, not sold |
| Installation | Sign up | Your IT person’s project | Done by us, in the firm |
| Updates and model upgrades | Automatic, on their schedule | You | Us, as part of support |
| When it breaks | Their status page | You | Restored from backup by us |
| Time to live | Days | Open-ended | Weeks, not months |
What Is Physically in the Building
When a firm’s COLP asks what an on-premises AI system actually consists of, the answer fits in a sentence: one machine on the firm’s own network, running open-weight models, with the documents you choose to import and the chat history stored on it. No part of the AI runs anywhere else. The only outside connection the machine makes is to the firm’s own Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace account, for sign-in.
That sentence is what settles the engagement-letter clause and the insurer’s question. Client material is not passed to a third-party processor because there is no third party. Privileged material is not disclosed because it is not sent anywhere. The firm remains the data controller and its retention policy keeps applying; we act as a processor only for the support access you grant us, under a data processing agreement drawn narrowly enough for a partner to read in one sitting.
The install is ours. After a call with a partner or the COLP about practice areas, headcount and which team goes first, we specify the machine, deliver and install it on the firm’s network, connect sign-in, and import the first team’s files, correspondence and precedents into document spaces organised by matter. The case management system is not connected and remains the system of record; documents come out to the machine, and drafts go back by a person.
Fee earners then use it for what it is for: a chronology from three years of correspondence with every entry cited, the clause in a lease, the differences between two versions of an agreement, a first draft from the firm’s own precedent in the firm’s house style. Not advice. Every output is a starting point for a qualified person, and the training says so.
One On-Premises AI System, Three Things It Does
Every part of the system runs on the machine in the firm.
Private chat
A ChatGPT-style assistant on your own machine. Ask questions, upload documents and images, work through drafts — without any of it going to an outside service.
Document spaces
Organise files and correspondence into spaces. Search, summarise and compare across hundreds of documents, with citations to the page each answer came from.
Custom assistants
Automations built around your workflows — recurring reports, standard memos, routine checks — running on the same machine as everything else.
| Document | What the fee earner asks for | What stays where |
|---|---|---|
| Correspondence on a matter | A chronology, every entry cited | On the machine, in the office |
| Bundles and disclosure | A summary; the passages on a point | On the machine, in the office |
| Leases, contracts, agreements | What clause 14 says; the differences between two versions | On the machine, in the office |
| Precedents and house style | A first draft, for a supervisor to review | On the machine, in the office |
| Counsel’s advice and privileged notes | Searchable within the matter, by permitted staff | On the machine, in the office |
| Case management system | Not connected — remains the system of record | Your existing system |
From a Partner’s Call to a Machine in the Office
Weeks, not months. Most firms start with one practice area and widen once it is in daily use.
A call with a partner or the COLP
Practice areas, headcount, which team goes first. We specify the machine from that and walk through the data flow.
Install and import
The machine goes on the firm’s network. Sign-in connects to your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Files, correspondence and precedents for the first team are imported into spaces.
Train fee earners, then support
We train the people who will use it, including what it is not for. Updates, model upgrades and support follow, from the people who installed it.
Where Local AI Is the Wrong Answer
We would rather lose the enquiry than the trust. Three things we tell every prospect before they sign anything.
It is not the answer for the phone or the inbox
An on-premises machine is built for confidential, document-heavy work. Call answering and inbox triage are better served by our hosted agents, which need no hardware and are live in days. Plenty of law firms run both.
It is slower than the big cloud models
Open-weight models on a single machine are capable for summarising, drafting and answering questions about your own documents. For frontier reasoning on hard, novel problems, the largest cloud models are still ahead. That is the trade.
It is a weeks-long install, not a sign-up
A cloud agent is live in days. Local AI needs the machine specified, delivered, installed on your network and your documents imported. Weeks, not months — but not tomorrow.
Built by People Who Run Their Own
One arrangement covers it
Machine, installation, training and ongoing support from one team. No hand-off between a hardware supplier, a software vendor and an IT contractor.
Rented, not sold
The machine is specified for your team and its open-weight models after a conversation, then rented to you with the software for £500 a month. Start with one team; adding people later is configuration.
UK data protection built in
No third-party AI processor and no restricted transfer for the AI step. UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, the ICO as regulator, and a data processing agreement for the support access you grant us.
Honest about the trade
Local models are capable and a little slower than the biggest cloud services. We say so up front, and we will tell you if a cloud agent is the better fit.
Which Page Answers Your Firm’s Question
| If your question is… | The short answer | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| What is the full on-premises system? | One machine: chat, spaces, assistants, support | On-premises AI solution |
| We want the Local AI overview for solicitors | The head page for law firms | Local AI for solicitors |
| What does the COLP need to see? | No processor, no transfer, for the AI step | GDPR Compliant AI for solicitors |
| Is this a private LLM for law firms? | Yes — private by construction | Private AI for solicitors |
| We would rather host it ourselves | It sits in your building; we maintain it | Self-Hosted AI for solicitors |
| We are a City firm | Installed on site across the capital | On-Premises AI London |
| Why on-premises at all? | The case for Local AI, in full | Local AI product page |
On-Premises AI for Law Firms: Common Questions
What is on premises AI?
A system where the AI models run on hardware inside your own building instead of on a provider’s servers. Your documents, prompts and chat history stay on that machine. Ours is a dedicated computer we supply, install in the firm and support.
What hardware does an on premise AI server need?
It depends on how many people use it and how large your document set is. We size and specify the machine for you after a short call — the same conversation decides which team goes first.
Who at the firm has access to the machine?
Whoever you say. Access follows the Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace sign-in the firm already administers, so which staff can see which matters is set with the tools you have, not a new admin console.
Can we start with one practice area?
Yes, and most firms should. One machine, one team — the litigation team, or the conveyancing files — and one clearly defined use. Once that team is using it daily, widening to another practice area is a configuration change, not a new install.
Does it give legal advice?
No. It drafts, summarises and finds. Every output is a starting point for a fee earner, and anything constituting legal advice stays with a qualified person. We say so in the training and we would say so to your insurer.
Can it read our case management system?
It does not connect to it. Documents and correspondence are exported into spaces on the machine, organised by matter or practice area. The case management system stays the system of record.
How much does Local AI cost?
£500 per month for the software and the hardware rental. The dedicated machine is rented to your business, not sold: you never buy the hardware. It is installed in your building and runs the private chat, document spaces and assistants. Local AI is for business customers only.
Put One Machine in the Firm
Tell us your practice areas and which team would go first. One short call to size the machine, with your COLP welcome on the line.
Prefer email? sghaith@businessaiagents.co.uk