Legal AI Co. Eigen Hires Ex-Slaughter + May Partner as GC

Legal AI company, Eigen Technologies, has hired former Slaughter and May corporate partner Adam Eastell to be the company’s first General Counsel (GC) and Head of Sector, Legal.

Eastell left the Magic Circle law firm in 2016 where he acted for a number of FTSE 100 companies on M&A deals. Just prior to joining Eigen, he was an independent consultant for technology businesses in the legal and medical sectors. In addition to his role as GC, Eastell will head-up Eigen’s legal-focused business. Eigen also works in other sectors, including financial services.

Adam Eastell, Eigen’s New GC

The news follows the recent unveiling of Eigen to the wider market, which until recently has been something of a dark horse in the legal AI sector. Earlier this month the UK-based company invited Artificial Lawyer to its Covent Garden HQ to see its document review system in action.

Eigen launched in 2014, headed up by Dr Lewis Liu and co-founder and Chairman Jonathan Feuer, a managing partner at CVC Capital Partners. Its first law firm client was Linklaters. It now has around 30 clients across the world and in different sectors.

The move comes soon after another UK-based legal AI company, ThoughtRiver, which has a focus on risk and compliance, hired Sky’s head counsel Martin Davidson to be its chief legal officer.

Commenting on the hire to Eigen, CEO and co-founder, Liu said: ‘I am delighted to welcome Adam to Eigen. He brings with him a wealth of experience across high-profile transactions and a deep understanding of the impact that technology will have on the legal sector.

‘Adam’s knowledge and experience are an excellent complement to our first-class science, engineering and commercial capabilities, and will allow us to continue our rapid expansion,’ he added.

Meanwhile, speaking about his new job at the legal AI company after a career as a corporate lawyer at Slaughter and May, Eastell said: ‘I am very excited to be joining Eigen. From the moment I met the team I knew they had something special. I believe that Eigen’s NLP technology has the potential to play a pivotal role in the changes AI will bring to the legal sector.’

AI will fundamentally change the profession I have worked in for 15 years and I am very much looking forward to being at the centre of it,’ he concluded.

For more about the background of Eigen and its origin story, please see here.