A future HSF Kramer trainee
As a further indication that AI is taking over the world / being embraced by law firms, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has appointed its first head of AI.
Ilona Logvinova joins HSF Kramer as its Chief AI Officer, having previously been the director of practice innovation at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. Prior to that she was the robot overlord head of innovation at McKinsey.
It’s been a conveyor belt of changing department titles in the legal profession, this year. Many firms scrambled to replace their DEI chiefs with different labels, and it seems that AI heads will now be the latest must-have position.
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HSF Kramer’s CEO, Justin D’Agostino, said: “Ilona will drive the firm’s global strategy to further leverage the potential of AI and legal technology in the service of our clients.”
D’Agostino added that “the pace of change has never been faster” as “technology is fundamentally reshaping how legal work is done, and our clients’ needs are evolving just as quickly.”
“The question is no longer whether AI will disrupt the legal sector, but how fast and how well we can harness it to deliver value,” said D’Agnostino (possibly aided by ChatGPT, given the enthusiasm), “this means having the best people using the best technology underpinned by robust oversight”.
Logvinova said, “It’s a critical time for embedding leading-edge AI into legal services. Having sophisticated emerging technologies, and the best trained lawyers to use them, will identify and differentiate the world’s leading global law firms.” Although whether or not that replaces some of them, remains to be seen.
The rise of AI in the legal sector has resulted in AI firms emerging and transforming. There is a degree of caution though, as the SRA has previously warned firms not to rely on machine learning, and in-house lawyers have had their say on the good and the bad.
Linklaters made AI sit law exams, concluding that expert supervision was still required. It’s certainly been a high-risk area for robot cock-ups. Very high-risk.
Pumpkin man, attributed to Matilda A-R
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