Top UK law firm Ashurst has onboarded its first generative AI solution for client work as it partners with Harvey, providing access to the generative AI solution to all of its 4,000 + lawyers and business services staff around the world.
While Ashurst is officially new to the gen AI table, in a world where being the first currently matters, the firm points out that it is the only global law firm so far to roll-out Harvey across all offices globally from day one. The selection follows an extensive global trial and pilot of Harvey, involving over 525 users, drawn from across 23 offices worldwide, running over 4,000 queries in the pilot phase.
The announcement notably follows Ashurst’s respected VoxPopulAI report, which pulled back the curtain on the qualitative and quantitative data from Ashurst’s evaluation of the use of GenAI in the legal sector. The firm now reveals that findings in this anonymised report were based, in part, on the positive outcome of Ashurst’s proof of concept with Harvey. We recently spoke to the innovation head of a large global law firm that is using the report to scientifically benchmark their own generative AI trials.
Harvey is a legal AI platform that leverages domain-specific models trained by and for lawyers and other professional service providers. Ashurst says it will work with Harvey to support many aspects of client work including document review, due diligence, drafting and market research. Other firms using Harvey include Allen & Overy, Macfarlanes and CMS.
“GenAI is here to stay, and this is another step Ashurst is proudly taking to ensure its people and clients can leverage the full potential of this new technology”, said Tara Waters, Ashurst’s chief digital officer, who led the generative AI trials. “As a firm we are committed to not only demystify but harness the value of AI to best support our people, and our clients, and enhance our ability to deliver best-in-class service. Our partnership with Harvey is a significant step towards this, empowering our people with the digital, data and technology capabilities that will help us to achieve our 2027 Strategy.”
Ruth Ward, global director of knowledge & expertise at Ashurst, added: “By leveraging the unique insights gained from our GenAI trials around the digital literacy and development needs of our people, we have been able to develop a platform of tailored training materials and educational resources. This has allowed us to implement this new capability at a global level from day one. However, the work doesn’t end just because we’ve launched the partnership – there will be ongoing training, learning sessions and regular reviews. We’re ensuring our people are at the heart of all our digital advancements.”