CFO Roundtable insights: AI, talent and the evolving

Ambition's CFO Roundtables bring together senior finance leaders from across the legal sector for open, peer-to-peer discussions on the issues shaping the profession. Hosted by Olivia Kelly, these sessions are designed to provide a space for open discussions, practical insights, and forward-looking perspectives on how firms can adapt in a rapidly changing environment.

Across our two most recent sessions, the conversations were lively and grounded in the day-to-day realities currently facing legal finance leaders. Building on themes explored in our previous roundtable series, two key topics dominated both discussions: AI and talent.

Below is a summary of the key themes that emerged.

1. AI: Where is it actually making a difference?

As with our last series, AI was front and centre across both sessions, but the conversation has matured. Rather than debating whether AI has a role in finance, the questions are now more practical. Where is it delivering real impact now, and what's still getting in the way?

Process improvement emerged consistently as the area where firms are seeing the most immediate value.

It was the data quality conversation, however, that generated the most discussion.

For many firms, inconsistent data, legacy systems, and gaps in how information is captured and stored are creating real barriers to getting reliable outputs. For some firms, AI has simply made existing data challenges harder to ignore. Naturally, this raises questions around accuracy and trust. The general view was that getting the data foundations right has to come before firms can expect to get the most out of their AI investment.

There was also healthy discussion around business uptake. There was no single answer on pace or approach. Firms are at different stages and working through what AI investment looks like for them.

2. The junior finance talent gap

Talent was a recurring theme across both sessions, and the conversations were candid. The pipeline of strong junior finance candidates simply isn't where it needs to be, and when candidates do come to market, their profiles don't always match what firms are looking for.

The skill sets most in demand right now are those with project or transformation experience, genuine commercial awareness, and the ability to influence across the business.

As we heard in our previous roundtable series, soft skills are no longer a nice-to-have. The ability to hold a room, build relationships, and partner with the wider business is increasingly central to what firms expect from their finance teams.

Across the two sessions, two further topics came up consistently.

Firms are beginning to create dedicated commercial roles to support specific major clients, reflecting a broader shift toward finance functions taking on a more strategic, client-facing role. And there was lively debate around bonus structures for business services, with leaders across both groups questioning whether current incentive models are actually driving the behaviours and retention they want to see.

Ambition CFO roundtable series

Thank you to everyone who joined us across both sessions and contributed so openly to the discussion. The quality of conversation at these roundtables continues to grow, and we're looking forward to seeing how these themes develop at our next CFO Roundtables.

If you're a law firm CFO and would be interested in attending a future session, please get in touch with Olivia Kelly.