A&O Shearman (announced as Allen & Overy)
A&O Shearman rolls out Harvey to its lawyers across 43 offices
Allen & Overy ran a beta of the legal AI platform Harvey from November 2022, then made it available to more than 3,500 lawyers in 43 offices. The firm reported about 40,000 queries from the trial group for day-to-day client work.
Key figures
Copied exactly from the sources. Copy any figure with its citation.
more than 3,500
Lawyers with access to Harvey1
43
Offices covered1
around 40,000
Queries sent during the trial for day-to-day client work1
What it took
Cost, team size and timeline were not disclosed in the sources.
The problem
Large law firms spend a great deal of lawyer time on contract analysis, due diligence, regulatory work and drafting. Allen & Overy wanted to test whether generative AI could help with that work without lowering quality or client trust.
What they built
The firm integrated Harvey, an AI platform built on a version of OpenAI's models and adapted for legal work, into its global practice. It was the first law firm to partner with Harvey, according to the firm's own announcement. Harvey is described as supporting contract analysis, due diligence, litigation and regulatory compliance work.
How they did it
The firm's Markets Innovation Group, a team of lawyers and developers, ran a beta trial from November 2022. By the end of the trial, around 3,500 lawyers had sent Harvey about 40,000 queries for day-to-day client work. After that, the firm made the platform available to more than 3,500 lawyers across 43 offices. The firm says output needs careful review by an A&O lawyer.
Results
The measurable results in the announcement are usage numbers: the size of the trial group, the number of queries and the number of offices covered. The announcement gives no figure for time saved. Senior Partner Wim Dejonghe described Harvey as a game-changer for the firm in the announcement.
Lessons for your project
Run a ring-fenced beta with a real group of lawyers before a firm-wide launch, so usage data backs the rollout decision.
Put a lawyer in charge of reviewing every output. The firm states that Harvey output needs careful review by a lawyer.
Put lawyers and developers in one innovation team. A&O's Markets Innovation Group ran the trial.
Caveats
- All figures come from the firm's own announcement and a news report repeating it. No independent measurement of time saved is cited here.
- The announcement says the platform is built on a version of OpenAI's models. The trial version is described as GPT-4 based; the production model is not stated.
Sources
- A&O announces exclusive launch partnership with Harvey
Allen & Overy · 2023-02-15 · Press release · aoshearman.com
- Magic circle firm rolls out 'game-changer' ChatGPT-type platform
Law Gazette · 2023-02-15 · News · lawgazette.co.uk
Summarized in our own words from the sources above. Spotted an error? See corrections.