Ropes & Gray Names Gretchen Greene Chief of Artificial Intelligence Strategy
Ropes & Gray has appointed Gretchen Greene as its first Chief of Artificial Intelligence Strategy. The new executive role places the firm among the earliest AmLaw 25 firms formalizing AI leadership at the senior level. Greene will guide global AI strategy to improve legal practice and client service through measurable results.
What the role covers
Greene will partner with Chief Information Officer Marsha Stein to coordinate AI initiatives across offices and practice groups. The mandate: turn AI from pilots into performance-integrated workflows, stronger operations, and new client offerings. The firm said the position is built to generate client value and scale what's already working.
Why her background fits
Greene brings experience in global AI adoption, executive strategy, and advisory work for safety-critical areas including biotechnology, clinical medicine, and research institutions. She has contributed to worldwide AI standards, legislation, and governance frameworks, including risk-focused approaches such as the NIST AI Risk Management Framework. Earlier in her career, she practiced law at Ropes & Gray as a tax and benefits attorney-giving her both technical and legal context for this role.
Leadership perspective
Firm leaders called the appointment a major step in advancing the firm's innovation agenda. They highlighted Greene's mix of technical depth, policymaking experience, and a track record of delivering measurable transformation for large organizations. Greene said she is returning at a defining moment for legal AI and looks forward to collaborating across teams.
Key quotes
"The AI revolution demands bold leadership and innovative thinking. Ropes & Gray has been leading the legal industry, and Gretchen will help us catalyze our early action to deliver differentiated value to our clients."
Julie Jones, Chair
"Gretchen's appointment is a major step in advancing our AI strategy. Her leadership in driving global AI transformation at Meta and in building best practices and delivering measurable results make her uniquely qualified. Gretchen's experience advising and influencing executives and policymakers, combined with her technical depth and client-focused approach, will be instrumental in accelerating innovation for firm and client impact."
Akhil Sethi, Chief Operating Officer
"I am excited to return to Ropes & Gray at a pivotal moment for legal AI. My goal is to help the firm remain at the forefront of AI adoption, and I look forward to collaborating with our lawyers, clients, and technical teams to build upon the already strong culture of innovation at the firm."
Gretchen Greene, Chief of Artificial Intelligence Strategy
Why this matters for executives
Dedicated AI leadership at the C-suite level speeds decision-making, reduces risk, and sets clear accountability for outcomes. Expect focus areas like research acceleration, contract analysis, knowledge management, pricing, client intake, and back-office automation-each tied to defined metrics. The signal here: AI is now an operating capability, not a side project.
Practical actions to consider
- Appoint a senior owner for AI with budget, governance authority, and delivery goals.
- Stand up an AI steering group with the CIO, practice leaders, legal ops, and risk.
- Pick 3-5 use cases with clear ROI (e.g., doc review cycle time, research throughput, BD response speed).
- Define policy and guardrails for data security, model use, and client disclosures.
- Run client co-development pilots with shared success metrics and quarterly reviews.
- Build a skills pipeline: role-based training, sandbox environments, and playbooks.
Next step for leadership teams
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