Farrer & Co appoints head of innovation and AI to accelerate practical adoption
Farrer & Co has named Oliver Jeffcott as its head of innovation and AI counsel, a move aimed at scaling everyday use of artificial intelligence across the firm. The London-headquartered practice, with around 600 employees, wants a clear bridge between its lawyers and technologists-and a faster path from pilot to production.
Who's leading the work
Jeffcott joins from Macfarlanes, where he focused on legal technology and innovation, and previously served as a legal technology analyst at legacy Allen & Overy. He describes generative AI's potential in legal as "huge," and his remit reflects that scope.
What the firm is using today
Farrer & Co already deploys tools from multiple suppliers, including Microsoft's Copilot and Thomson Reuters' Westlaw, plus Orbital for property matters. Current use covers drafting, information checks, and other routine tasks that soak up fee-earner time.
- Microsoft Copilot for productivity and drafting
- Westlaw for legal research and citations
Near-term focus and use cases
First priority: help lawyers "understand the use cases" and apply AI to admin-heavy work so more time goes to client priorities and strategic thinking. Jeffcott will evaluate and implement legal tech, identify targeted AI applications, run pilots in select teams, and scale firmwide if results hold up.
He'll also push into larger datasets-think hundreds of thousands of documents in a litigation matter-to find "needles in a haystack" faster and with better auditability.
Adoption: from patchy to productive
According to partner and management board member Sam Macdonald, Jeffcott is a lawyer by training who became a tech expert. A simple success metric: wider and more productive AI use across the firm, regardless of seniority.
Today, adoption is "patchy." Some senior lawyers are experimenting in sophisticated ways; others don't touch it. Turning that split into consistent habits will require clear workflows, safe usage guidelines, and visible wins.
- Start with pilots tied to measurable outcomes (time saved, quality gains, fewer reworks).
- Create short, role-based playbooks for research, drafting, and matter management.
- Run live clinics and office hours; pair power users with practice groups.
- Set guardrails for confidentiality, citations, and client disclosure.
- Track usage and impact monthly; expand only what proves its value.
Market context
Momentum is building across the City. Last month, Linklaters announced a team of 20 lawyers dedicated to deploying AI across the firm. After training, they'll support colleagues worldwide on workflow improvements and client service.
Technology leadership update
Farrer & Co has also appointed Rod Fripp as IT director. He joins from Capsticks and succeeds Andy Beech, who will retire from the role next month and move into a part-time position as strategic initiatives advisor.
What to watch next
- Focused pilots in property, litigation, and knowledge management.
- Better retrieval on large document sets and clearer audit trails.
- Firmwide standards for prompt templates, review steps, and sign-off.
- Regular reporting on adoption and matter outcomes.
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