Spencer Fane Chief Information Officer Allen Darrah recently presented at Legalweek 2026 – one of the legal industry’s premier conferences focused on legal innovation, technology, and practice management – on March 9 in New York. Allen joined industry consultant Kenny Leckie to present AI Acceptable Use 2.0: Enforcing Policies and Closing Compliance Gaps, a session focused on the next phase of artificial intelligence governance in law firms.
The session explored how organizations are moving beyond early experimentation with AI tools toward more mature governance models that address risk management, vendor oversight, data protection, and responsible adoption at scale.
“Many firms believe they are compliant because they have an AI policy,” Allen said. “But policy alone is not governance. Governance requires visibility, controls, and accountability.”
Allen shared practical insights drawn from Spencer Fane experience evaluating AI technologies and developing governance frameworks that balance innovation with security and client obligations. Topics included AI vendor management, monitoring and enforcement strategies, managing tool proliferation, and the growing role of client expectations in shaping AI strategy.
The presentation emphasized firms must move from viewing AI as a novelty or isolated productivity tool to treating it as part of the enterprise technology environment requiring the same discipline applied to cybersecurity, data governance, and vendor risk management.
“AI adoption is no longer the differentiator,” Allen noted. “The differentiator will be how effectively firms govern and operationalize AI.”
Legalweek attendees responded with strong engagement and discussion around real-world governance challenges, particularly around balancing innovation with risk management and addressing the rapid expansion of AI capabilities across legal technology platforms.
Darrah continues to work with Spencer Fane leadership and technology teams to develop practical, responsible approaches to AI adoption that support the firm’s strategic growth while maintaining strong security and governance standards.