Magic Circle giant in major tech push
Magic Circle giant Linklaters has launched a team of 20 ‘AI Lawyers’ (yes, that is their actual job title) as it ramps up its commitment to artificial intelligence across its global offices.
The new cohort is a mix of external tech specialists and Linklaters lawyers who have decided to boost their legal expertise with advanced AI know-how. They will be placed into practice groups around the world to help build prompts, workflows and other tech driven processes that the firm hopes will sharpen client delivery.
Before they get started, the group will attend what the firm describes as an AI ‘bootcamp’. The programme covers Links’ approach to AI, power user features in its tools, the basics of change management, and how to write prompts that minimise the risk of generative AI hallucinations, a hazard Legal Cheek has covered before.
After completing the programme, the AI Lawyers will work closely with fee earners to develop smarter ways of handling legal work while also advising colleagues on how to use AI effectively in day to day practice.
Sarah Barnard, director of AI delivery at Linklaters, commented:
“We are excited to launch our first cohort of dedicated AI Lawyers to drive our ambitious programme of work globally. By combining recently practising Linklaters lawyers and highly skilled tech experts in a single collaborative team, we will gain the versatility and depth of knowledge to deliver even more innovative solutions for our clients and our people.”
The new team lands as firms across the City continue to lean hard into AI. Legal Cheek reported earlier this month that Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has appointed its first global ‘Chief AI Officer’, while US outfit Ropes & Gray is now urging its juniors to spend a fifth of their billable hours on AI as it steps up its legal-tech drive.
Meanwhile, recent research shows almost eight in ten of the top 20 firms have rolled out third-party AI tools, with nearly half either building their own systems or teaming up on customised versions. More than half are now putting lawyers through AI training, and six firms have even pumped money into AI start-ups or launched their own in-house incubators.
But there could be drawbacks for some as firms push ahead with AI adoption. Last week it was reported that Clifford Chance is making around 50 support staff redundant, with the Financial Times suggesting that increased use of AI was one of the factors behind the cuts.
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