Another major law firm strikes tech deal
Slaughter and May has become the latest Magic Circle firm to roll out an AI platform across its entire practice, announcing a firmwide deal with Harvey.
The firm will deploy Harvey’s platform across all practice groups, with the AI being used to support lawyers on cross-border M&A, due diligence, regulatory research and document analysis.
Managing partner David Johnson said the adoption would “enhance the excellent service” the firm provides to clients, adding that “the vital human layer that supervises AI” — i.e. its lawyers — remains central to the rollout. Partner and head of innovation Sally Wokes struck a similarly measured tone, describing AI as a tool to “connect and apply” the firm’s existing expertise rather than replace it.
This deal comes as Harvey continues to secure partnerships across the legal sector and also recently announced a partnership with Gabriel Macht — the actor best known for playing fictional hotshot lawyer Harvey Specter in Suits. Harvey (the AI company, not the fictional lawyer) has not confirmed whether Macht will be expected to close deals by legal deadline or simply look good doing it.
Fellow Magic Circle firm Freshfields also recently struck an AI deal with Anthropic, though with the added ambition of developing its own in-house tools alongside it.
A couple of things will happen IMO. 1. The already small number of trainees and vacation schemers that S&M take on will decrease because why have that many when you have an AI tool as good as they say it is. 2. Trainees will need to adapt to being both really good at using AI and understanding the law to fix the AI mistakes. 3. Trainees will need more skills in project management.
Slaughters have been royally scammed, Harvey AI is just ChatGPT with a pretty wrapper. No doubt they’re paying vast sums of money, based on the figures the aggressive Harvey sales team once pitched to me