International law firm Bird & Bird has hired a team of legal transformation specialists from Big Four firm EY, including Shahin Baghaei, who spent seven years leading a global group of legal consultants focused on enterprise contract management. The new hires, which also include Head of Legal Solutions Dale Carden, Senior Manager Carl Newman, and Manager Carolyn Guha, will focus on delivering technology-enabled solutions for legal work at scale.
The team will develop new AI legal solutions alongside enhancing how existing client mandates are delivered, the firm said. Bird & Bird already works with Legora as its primary legal AI platform, and the new team's presence may help drive client adoption of that system when recommending AI tools.
What the new team brings
Baghaei has particular expertise in improving contracting processes and helping clients prepare for regulatory change. He previously worked at Clifford Chance before joining EY. The group will work alongside Bird & Bird's existing LegalTech & AI capabilities, not replace them.
For legal professionals, this hire signals that law firms are increasingly investing in dedicated teams for AI and legal tech consulting, rather than relying on ad-hoc internal projects. Bird & Bird now has a dedicated team that can help clients understand how to apply AI to contract management, regulatory compliance, and document review at scale.
Why the hire matters for legal professionals
If you work in legal operations, in-house counsel, or law firm management, this kind of Big Four team move suggests law firms are building out in-house consulting arms to compete with the Big Four and legal tech vendors. For paralegals and junior lawyers, it means the demand for AI for Legal skills will only grow as firms push AI solutions to clients.
The team arrives at a time when most major law firms offer some form of legal tech consulting, but bringing a four-person team from EY is a signal of scale. Bird & Bird CEO Christian Bartsch said the appointment "reinforces Bird & Bird's position at the forefront of advising clients on the opportunities and challenges of a technology-driven world." The firm internal AI Learning Path for Paralegals already covers AI document review and contract analysis - exactly the areas Baghaei's team will specialize in.
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