Artificial intelligence is putting pressure on the underlying economics of legal work, forcing firms to rethink how they price services, structure teams, and define performance. For many, the challenge is not access to technology, but the difficulty of aligning leadership, operations, and systems in a way that allows change to actually stick.

Debbie Foster, CEO of Affinity Consulting Group, has spent nearly 30 years working with law firm leaders on strategy, operations, leadership, and change. In the following interview, she discusses how firms are responding to AI-driven pressure, what differentiates Affinity’s approach, and why leadership often determines whether change takes hold.

“AI isn't just a new tool—it's pressure on the fundamental economics of legal work.”

The Consulting Report: How is your firm working with law firms as they navigate the structural changes reshaping the industry?

Debbie Foster: Affinity Consulting Group partners with law firms navigating one of the most significant moments of change the industry has ever faced. AI isn't just a new tool—it's pressure on the fundamental economics of legal work, and that pressure is forcing firms to rethink everything: how they price their work, how they structure their teams, how they measure and reward performance, and what kind of leaders they need. We help firms work through all of it.

That means AI strategy and implementation, but it also means helping firms move to new fee arrangements that actually work—not just setting a price, but redesigning the systems, processes, and compensation models that have to change alongside it. And it means building leadership capacity at the top, with executives who understand how to lead a modern law firm, not just manage the one that exists today. 

We also serve solo and small firm lawyers through Lawyerist, giving them the roadmap and real-time visibility to build firms they're genuinely proud to lead. Two brands, one mission: a legal industry full of better-led, better-run firms.

"Sustainable change in a law firm requires getting the people, the systems, and the technology moving in the same direction.”

The Consulting Report:  What distinguishes your approach, particularly when it comes to driving change within law firms?

Debbie Foster: We only work with law firms. That's not a positioning statement—it's a genuine commitment to depth over breadth. Our consultants don't need to be educated on how a law firm works. They already understand partnership dynamics, how decisions actually get made, and what it takes to bring people through change in a profession that values tradition. That matters enormously when the work is hard.

But what I think really sets us apart is how we think about change. Sustainable change in a law firm requires getting the people, the systems, and the technology moving in the same direction. Most firms get help with one of those things. We work across all three, because we know that's the only way it actually holds. We've also been doing this long enough to know what doesn't work, which turns out to be just as valuable as knowing what does.

The Consulting Report: Can you share an example of client work that reflects the kind of impact you aim to have?

Debbie Foster: One story that stays with me involves four lawyers who came to us while they were still part of a larger firm. They had a vision for something of their own, but turning that vision into a real plan required honest, rigorous work. We helped them think through the structure, the economics, and the kind of firm they actually wanted to build. That firm is wildly successful today, well beyond what any of them imagined at the start. It's given them the ability to serve clients in a way that is genuinely meaningful, on their own terms. That's the outcome I care most about.

More broadly, the strategic planning work we do with firms is some of the most consequential work we touch. In a moment of this much change, how a firm approaches planning often determines whether they're leading or just reacting. We push firms to ask harder questions and build strategies that can hold up as the landscape keeps shifting.

The Consulting Report: How would you describe the culture at Affinity, and how does it shape the way your team works with clients?

Debbie Foster: We have five core values: Be Inclusive, Act with Integrity, Grab the Marker, Stay Curious, and Drive Change. "Grab the Marker" is the one I talk about most. It means step up, take ownership, don't wait for someone else to solve the problem. That spirit runs through how our team works together and how we show up for clients.

We're fully remote, spread across 24 states, and I think that has made our culture more intentional, not weaker. When you can't rely on proximity to build connection, you have to mean it. Our team is collaborative, direct, and genuinely invested in doing good work. We've also made a deliberate choice to sound like ourselves—no jargon, no pretense. Just people who are very good at what they do and deeply care about the outcome.

The Consulting Report: How is AI changing the types of conversations you’re having with law firm leaders today?

Debbie Foster: AI has changed the nature of our client work, and I think we're still in the early chapters of that shift. The most important thing it has done is create urgency. Firms that were comfortable moving slowly on technology no longer have that option. They're watching AI reshape how legal research gets done, how documents get drafted, and how clients expect to be served—and they know they can't afford to watch from the sidelines.

What that means for us is more conversations about strategy and fewer about tools in isolation. Selecting an AI product is the easy part. Understanding how to integrate it into your practice, how to train your people, and how to evaluate whether it's delivering real value—that's the harder work. And underneath all of it is a bigger question: AI is putting real pressure on the billable hour model, and most firms don't have a clear picture of what comes next. That's the conversation we're in the middle of with our clients right now, and it's the one I think matters most.

“The leaders who create the most impact are the ones willing to be honest about what's working, what isn't, and what they don't know.”

The Consulting Report: How has your leadership philosophy evolved as you’ve worked with firms navigating change?

Debbie Foster: The belief that shapes everything for me is that sustainable change requires getting the people, the systems, and the technology moving in the same direction. The best strategy only goes as far as the leaders carrying it out. I've seen too many firms invest in the right tools and the right plans and still not get where they wanted to go, because the leadership piece wasn't there.

I've also come to believe that the leaders who create the most impact are the ones willing to be honest about what's working, what isn't, and what they don't know. That kind of honesty creates permission for the people around them to do the same, and it changes what a team is capable of.

The mantra I come back to most is simple: be the leader you needed when you were coming up. It has shaped how I invest in people, how I give feedback, and how I think about what this work is really for.