Linklaters Launches Specialist ‘AI Lawyers’ Group

Linklaters has launched a new innovation grouping branded as ‘AI Lawyers’. Some of the 20-strong group are recent hires, they said. It looks to be both a substantive move and also a major marketing push to send the message to the clients that the global firm is serious about AI.

As the firm explained: ‘This first cohort of dedicated AI Lawyers will give Linklaters’ practices direct access to specialist AI legal expertise, supporting the delivery of innovative solutions for clients.’

And you may then say, ‘But, they already have an innovation team and dedicated innovation lawyers across the firm, and that involves working with AI tools already’. And that is right. Putting more emphasis on the ‘AI’ part and creating a branded group – plus some new hires – both helps internally as it sends a message across the firm, and also – as noted – sends a message to the clients that Linklaters is able and willing to help with applying AI technology to their work.

The firm added that ‘AI Lawyers will attend a bespoke bootcamp training covering everything from Linklaters’ strategic thinking on AI, ….to change management, and effective prompt and workflow creation’.

And that ‘they will work in practice groups and offices globally, leveraging their combined expertise to support Linklaters’ client-facing lawyers….and advise on the use of AI to deliver for clients’.

This follows Linklaters’ firmwide roll-out of Legora’s generative AI platform.

Sarah Barnard, Director of AI Delivery at Linklaters, said: ‘We are excited to launch our first cohort of dedicated AI Lawyers to drive our ambitious programme of work globally. By combining recently practising Linklaters lawyers and highly skilled tech experts in a single collaborative team, we will gain the versatility and depth of knowledge to deliver even more innovative solutions for our clients and our people.’

Is this a big deal?

As noted, the firm already has a long track-record of working on legal innovation projects, and has a substantial network of innovation experts and ‘innovation lawyers’ across the business, plus it even creates its own legal tech solutions. So, why the move now?

AL’s guess is that pressure in the market to be recognised as having grasped the AI nettle; the arrival of NewMod law firms (see previous AL article); increasing competition from other firms; and clients using AI more and more internally, has created the conditions where Linklaters really wants to send a message and also expand its technical excellence in deploying this technology.

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