Linklaters launches lawyer-led AI team to speed up workflows and client delivery
Linklaters has set up a dedicated team of lawyers to deploy AI across the firm. After targeted training, the group will advise colleagues worldwide on practical use cases that improve workflows and client service. They will work side by side with data science specialists to pinpoint where AI makes a measurable difference and how to implement it safely.
"Combining Linklaters' lawyers and highly skilled tech experts in a team will help the firm deliver more innovative solutions to the firm's clients and staff," said Sarah Barnard, director of AI delivery at Linklaters.
What the team will do
The brief is simple: find high-value legal tasks, test AI tools, and scale what works. Expect focus on routine drafting, research acceleration, matter intake, and knowledge reuse. The team will also shape guardrails, training, and support so lawyers can use AI confidently without risking confidentiality or privilege.
Tools already in play
The move follows a firm-wide rollout of Legora's generative AI platform to automate and accelerate routine tasks. Linklaters has also built an internal chatbot and runs a sandbox to prototype new ideas before firmwide adoption.
Why this tracks with the market
Ron Friedmann, senior director analyst at Gartner and a legal expert, expects other large firms to follow as they look to realize value from sizable AI investments. "Previous tech professionals had trouble getting lawyers' attention," he said. "The biggest challenge for the new AI professionals will be more demand for support than they can handle. A secondary challenge will be finding time and lawyer bandwidth to evaluate all the legal [generative AI] products coming to market."
Training ramps up across BigLaw
Latham & Watkins launched an "AI academy" for junior lawyers. In the US, first-year associates at Ropes & Gray can spend about a fifth of their annual billable hours exploring AI, with the pilot now expanding. Kennedys is partnering with Spellbook on an AI training program for junior lawyers focused on contract review, redlining, and drafting.
Spellbook says its platform uses OpenAI models and other large language models. Kennedys plans "simulated frameworks" and AI-assisted drafting exercises to preserve learning opportunities that may shrink as routine work becomes automated.
Practical takeaways for legal leaders
- Start with clear use cases that cut time on repeatable tasks (intake, first drafts, clause comparison, research summaries).
- Pair lawyers with data science and KM to define prompts, guardrails, and review steps; keep a human in the loop.
- Stand up an evaluation pipeline to triage vendors; standardize security, privacy, and privilege checks.
- Track outcomes, not hype: turnaround time, accuracy, risk flags caught, and lawyer satisfaction.
- Allocate structured time for training and experimentation; treat AI support as a service, not a side task.
- Update client engagement terms and playbooks to address confidentiality, data retention, and disclosure.
- Plan change management early: quick wins, templates, office hours, and an AI helpdesk.
Governance resources
For policies and risk controls, see the Solicitors Regulation Authority's guidance on generative AI here, and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework here.
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