Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has hired Padma Elmgart as chief technology officer and Chris Davis as chief financial officer, the law firm said Tuesday. The dual appointments arrive as law firms across the industry spend heavily on technology, particularly generative AI, to reshape operations and client services.
Elmgart joins from Global Atlantic Financial Group, a KKR subsidiary, where she served as chief technology officer since 2019. Davis was most recently chief operating officer at Paul Hastings. Both executives are based in New York. Orrick is headquartered in San Francisco.
Technology leadership from financial services
Elmgart brings experience from a sector that has already undergone its own wave of digital transformation. Before Global Atlantic, she held roles at Deutsche Bank and Barclays. She also sits on the board of directors of HSBC North America and serves as vice chair of the nonprofit Streetwise Partners.
"Legal services is at a particularly interesting moment because the capabilities of technology are changing so rapidly," Elmgart told Reuters, pointing specifically to generative AI and large language models. She said her background managing technological change in financial services will inform her approach at Orrick.
Elmgart will lead the firm's global technology organization and strategy. Her mandate includes working across the firm to use technology, data, and AI to "create differentiated value for clients and transform how the firm operates," according to Orrick. She starts September 21.
Finance chief with law firm operating experience
Davis, who started Monday, arrives from rival Paul Hastings, where he was chief operating officer. He previously worked at Goodwin Procter. Davis said he plans to focus on innovation in his new role.
The hires reflect a broader pattern across the legal industry. Law firm expenses have increased this year, driven by technology investments including AI, according to data from the Thomson Reuters Institute. Major firms have brought on a wave of new executives and technical specialists to manage the integration of AI tools. For legal professionals watching these shifts, the AI for Legal landscape is evolving quickly as firms build internal expertise rather than relying solely on external vendors.
Why this matters for legal professionals
When a firm like Orrick hires a CTO from private equity and a CFO from a top rival, it signals that AI strategy is moving from experimentation to core business planning. For associates, paralegals, and operations staff, this means technology decisions are being made at the highest levels of firm leadership and will shape daily workflows. Paralegals who want to stay ahead can build relevant skills through an AI Learning Path for Paralegals. The takeaway is concrete: firms are staffing up to make AI a permanent part of legal practice, not a pilot project.
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