Why Shoosmiths is offering a £1 million AI bonus pot this year

Leading UK law firm Shoosmiths has announced plans to reward staff with an extra £1 million in this year's bonus pot - if the company hits one million prompts on an AI platform, writes Joshua King.

The firm, founded in 1845 in Northampton and now a powerhouse of corporate law, claims the reward offering is the first of its kind in the world. Microsoft Copilot is the AI platform used by the firm.

Shoosmiths operates a collegiate bonus pool, paid out to all staff. If their ambitious AI target is hit, an additional £1 million will be injected into the pool. Firm management considers the headline-grabbing announcement a "tangible commitment" to embedding AI in the business.

David Jackson, CEO at Shoosmiths, said: "We believe AI is a powerful enabler—one that can help us deliver smarter, faster, better results for our amazing clients beyond what any other law firm is doing. This initiative is about creating a culture where everyone plays a role in embracing change and using technology to raise the bar on client service.

"Our passion for innovation is driven by our deep focus on client outcomes. We don’t fear AI—it won’t replace our people. Instead, it frees them to spend more time on the human-to-human work that really matters: solving problems, building trust, and supporting clients through complexity."

Can Shoosmiths really hit one million prompts in 2025?

In short, yes. Well, probably. Bosses claim it would take just four prompts per member of staff per day this year to "comfortably" hit that big number. Usage of the software will be tracked and shared for transparency, with monthly updates to "encourage collaboration, learning and momentum".

But whether every member of staff (more than 1,500 in total across 14 offices including Edinburgh) realistically can or will use artificial intelligence Copilot tools on a daily basis and with that frequency remains to be seen.

There is a significant environmental impact of scale AI use due to the substantial energy demands of data centres, and pressure on water for cooling servers. Shoosmiths says it is "committed to sustainable innovation and achieving net zero by 2040", and is on track to do so including managing AI emissions.