Conveyancing solicitors can use Microsoft Copilot without risking client confidentiality, but only if the groundwork is right first. Copilot works within your existing Microsoft 365 permissions and, on the commercial licence, does not use your data to train public AI models. The real risk is not the tool leaking data to the world, but Copilot surfacing files a user could already reach but should not. Getting that right is part of managed IT, which usually costs about £45 to £100 per user per month.
For a Bishop’s Stortford practice handling sensitive client and matter data, the question is sensible and the answer is encouraging, provided you treat confidentiality as a setup task rather than an afterthought. Here is what matters.
How Copilot uses your data
Microsoft 365 Copilot operates inside your tenant and respects the permissions you already have. With the commercial data protection that comes with the business licensing, your prompts and content are not used to train the public models, and data stays within your Microsoft 365 environment. So the concern is not Copilot broadcasting your files, it is what your own permissions already allow.
The real risk: oversharing
Copilot is very good at finding things, which is exactly why loose permissions become a problem. If a member of staff technically has access to files they should not, Copilot makes those files far easier to surface in a summary or answer. The fix is to tighten who can see what before you switch Copilot on, so it can only ever reflect access that is already correct.
Fix permissions and governance first
That means reviewing access across SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams, removing the oversharing that builds up over years, and applying sensitivity labels to the most confidential material. Good data governance is worth doing in its own right, and it is what makes Copilot safe to adopt rather than a confidentiality risk.
A clear AI policy and staff guidance
People need to know what is and is not acceptable: which information can be used with AI tools, how to check Copilot’s output before relying on it, and that client confidentiality and your SRA duties still apply. A short, clear policy and a little training let the team get the benefits without crossing a line.
The right licence
It matters which AI you use. The free, consumer chatbots do not come with the same data protections as the licensed Microsoft 365 Copilot, so staff should not paste client information into personal AI accounts. Standardising on the properly licensed tool, set up correctly, is the difference between safe and risky.
What good looks like
Done well, your team gets real time savings, drafting, summarising and finding information faster, while confidentiality is protected by correct permissions, sensitivity labels and a clear policy. Copilot reflects only what each person should already see, and AI becomes a help rather than a worry.
Getting the most from Copilot safely
Used well, Copilot can save a conveyancing team real time: summarising a long email thread on a matter, drafting a first version of a standard letter, pulling key dates out of a document, or finding that one file someone saved months ago. The benefit is genuine, and for a busy practice those minutes add up across every fee earner, every day. The trick is that all of this value depends entirely on the foundations underneath it being sound, which is why the setup work matters as much as the tool itself.
That is why the order of events is important: tidy up permissions and oversharing, label your most sensitive material, agree a short policy on what staff can and cannot do with AI, and standardise on the properly licensed version, and only then roll Copilot out. Done in that order, you get the productivity without the confidentiality worry, and you can show clients, lenders and your insurer that you have adopted AI responsibly rather than opened a back door to client data. A good IT partner handles that groundwork so the practice gets the upside safely.
Why conveyancing solicitors choose First Stop IT
First Stop IT has supported businesses since 2002, including conveyancing solicitors and high-street practices, and we know the software you run every day: LEAP, Oyez forms, eSigner, BigHand, Sage Payroll, PTP and Xero, alongside Microsoft 365. We support conveyancing solicitors in Harlow, Bishop’s Stortford, Sawbridgeworth, London and across Essex and Hertfordshire. Our credentials include:
- Cyber Essentials Certified
- IASME Cyber Assurance (Gold)
- NCSC Assured Service Provider (Cyber Advisor for Cyber Essentials)
- Microsoft Partner
- Crown Commercial Service Supplier (G-Cloud)
- Quality Principles Certified
We look after more than 2,000 endpoints across 50 companies, we have been named a Top 50 UK MSP for three years running, and we support organisations with 10 to 100 employees across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, including Harlow and Bishop’s Stortford.
Book a free IT and cyber security review
Want this set up properly for your practice? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT.