In a world where “AI” dominates every conversation, Vikki Bentwood, Founder of The Legal Linchpin, cut through the noise at the Law Firm Marketing Summit with a refreshingly practical message: AI isn’t another tool, it’s a transformation.

Opening her session on AI essentials, Vikki showed just how accessible this technology has become. With no technical background, she produced a professional video using AI platforms like Hedra and  ChatGPT all in under an hour. Her point was simple but powerful: AI doesn’t need to be daunting or complex. You don’t need a production team, a big budget, or an IT rollout to start. You just need curiosity and a willingness to take the first small steps.

“AI isn’t the next CRM plugin,” she said. “It’s more like electricity, it doesn’t just replace what came before, it changes everything built on top of it.”

That mindset shift — from seeing AI as a shiny tool to understanding it as an enabling system — was central to her talk. The real challenge for firms, she argued, isn’t technological; it’s literacy. We don’t need to build new systems first; we need to understand how to use the ones we already have.

Vikki offered a practical starting point for every marketer: 

If a task takes more than 20 minutes, ask yourself — could AI help me with this? Those repetitive, time-draining activities are where AI delivers its first big wins.

From there, she shared her framework for effective AI adoption:

• Master prompting: Good results come from clear instructions. Every AI task should include three parts: role, task, and context. Once you start structuring prompts like that, the quality of your results skyrockets.
• Experiment with tools: Vikki highlighted her daily go-tos, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Fireflies — showing how they save time, enhance analysis, and even act as strategic partners. For example, Perplexity’s citation-based AI search helps with market insights and competitive research; Fireflies automates meeting summaries and action points.
• Think strategically, not just efficiently — “The real opportunity,” she said, “isn’t just in working faster — it’s in thinking smarter.” LLMs (Large language models) can help identify growth opportunities, model client scenarios, and guide business development strategy.

Vikki closed with a clear roadmap for firms: build AI literacy, explore through experimentation, start small projects that demonstrate impact, and use those wins to build wider adoption.

“AI will give you time back,” she concluded. “The real challenge isn’t the technology — it’s your mindset.”

In other words, the firms that thrive won’t just use AI, they’ll think with it.

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Vikki's Top 8 Tools 

1. ChatGPT - Versatile AI Assistant
2. Claude - Powerful AI for writing
3. Perplexity - AI-driven Search\
4. NotebookLM - AI for Knowledge
5. Canva - Graphic Design platform
6. Pika - Video and special effects
7. Gemini 2.5 Flash - Image tool
8. Fireflies - AI meeting assistant