The firm, with offices in Dublin and Belfast, said it is integrating Harvey, an AI platform backed by OpenAI, the same company that developed the now famous ChatGPT platform, into its global practice.

Harvey will “empower more than 3,500 of A&O’s lawyers across 43 offices operating in multiple languages with the ability to generate and access legal content with unmatched efficiency, quality and intelligence”, it said.

A&O has been trialling Harvey in beta since November 2022 under the leadership of a team of lawyers and developers tasked with disrupting the legal industry, called the Markets Innovation Group (MIG).

At the end of the trial, around 3,500 of A&O’s lawyers had asked Harvey around 40,000 queries for their day-to-day client work.

David Wakeling, head of the firm’s Markets Innovation Group, said: “I have been at the forefront of legal tech for 15 years but I have never seen anything like Harvey. It is a game-changer that can unleash the power of generative AI to transform the legal industry.

“Harvey can work in multiple languages and across diverse practice areas, delivering unprecedented efficiency and intelligence. In our trial, we saw some amazing results.”

The platform uses natural language processing, machine learning and data analytics to automate and enhance various aspects of legal work, such as contract analysis, due diligence, litigation and regulatory compliance.

“Whilst the output needs careful review by an A&O lawyer, Harvey can help generate insights, recommendations and predictions based on large volumes of data, enabling lawyers to deliver faster, smarter and more cost-effective solutions to their clients,” the firm said.

Harvey, which received seed funding from the OpenAI Startup Fund, was founded by a team of former lawyers, engineers and entrepreneurs who share a vision of transforming the legal industry with technology.

Wim Dejonghe, senior partner at A&O, said: “This announcement marks a new era for A&O and the legal industry. Harvey AI is not just another platform, but a game-changer that will enable us to deliver unprecedented value, efficiency and innovation to our clients.

“We are proud to be the first law firm to partner with Harvey AI. We share their vision of using technology to enhance and transform legal services.”

Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s COO and manager of the OpenAI Startup Fund, said: “We invested in Harvey because we believe AI can have a profound impact on the legal process and their proprietary platform will fundamentally change the way lawyers spend their time.

“The fact that A&O witnessed the benefits and level of engagement within a few short months is testament to what Gabriel Pereyra, Winston Weinberg, and team have built.”

Gabriel Pereyra, co-founder of Harvey, added: “We are honoured and excited to partner with A&O. Their global presence, tradition of excellence and rapid adoption will allow us to safely develop and deploy cutting-edge legal AI to the most complex legal work across every practice area and legal system in the world.”