Artificial intelligence in tax consulting is often reduced to a simple function: the automated research of legal opinions in publishers' databases. However, this image is far too simplistic. AI is more than a tool for legal keyword searches – it is a strategic instrument for creating value, building client loyalty, and transforming traditional consulting services into scalable digital products .
Modern tax firms have long been sitting on a treasure trove of data : accounting data, invoices, business analyses, payroll statements, and annual financial statements. This data is usually stored in a structured and historically detailed manner – and offers enormous potential for data-driven evaluations and intelligent analyses.
What was missing until now was the technological bridge. This is now provided by Microsoft Fabric – in combination with Azure AI Foundry and OneLake. These platforms make it possible to link structured law firm data with external data sources, make it available in a unified data space, and automatically evaluate it with AI-supported agents. The result: digital products with real added value for clients – on demand, customized, scalable.
A concrete example: Price optimization as a data-based product
Let's imagine a client from online or brick-and-mortar retail who is looking for strategies to increase sales and clear inventory. The key question is: Which products should be discounted – and at what price?
The tax firm can offer a data product that answers precisely this question – based on AI, data integration, and firm expertise:
- Invoice data: This is already available in the firm, for example via Datev or from the client’s ERP system.
- Sales data: Connected via Microsoft Fabric, e.g., from Databricks, Azure SQL , or even simple CSV files.
- Inventory levels: Also come from ERP or POS systems, e.g., via Snowflake or Microsoft OneLake .
- Customer feedback: This is unstructured – for example, in the form of support emails, reviews, chat histories – and is stored in the Azure Data Lake and indexed using AI Search.
All these data sources are connected virtually in a shared lakehouse —without physical copies or complicated ETL processes. The combination is achieved via OneLake Shortcuts and native connectors.
An AI agent set up in the firm (e.g. based on GPT-4) then accesses this data space and answers the question posed at the beginning through a multidimensional analysis:
- Which products are selling poorly?
- Which of them are in overcrowded camps?
- Which ones still offer enough margin for a discount?
- Which products are still in demand by customers – according to feedback?
The result: An automatically generated list of discount recommendations, including justification, price suggestions, and prioritization.
The highlight: The whole thing is a monetizable law firm product
This analysis can be provided as a digital product in a client portal—for example, as part of a consulting subscription or for a one-time payment. Possible options include:
- Pay-per-use models: e.g., €49 per product analysis retrieval.
- Subscription models for online retailers: e.g., €99 per month including data access, price simulations, and recommendations for action.
- Integration into client shops: e.g., via Shopify, with automatic price updates via interface.
This creates a truly scalable business model for the firm : away from purely time-based consulting fees – towards data-driven services with recurring revenue.
Conclusion: Tax advisors as data experts – not just as number checkers
This approach exemplifies how tax firms can exploit the full potential of AI: not as a technical toy, but as a business innovation.
Data has long been available – the know-how to combine it meaningfully and generate real added value for clients is the new distinguishing feature of digital law firms.
With the right architecture, clear workflows, and intelligent automation, artificial intelligence becomes a real driver of growth—both for your clients and for your own law firm.
