Note: This is the first installment in a series examining how Am Law 100 firms are using generative artificial intelligence, based on a reporting project in which our team reached out to every firm in the grouping. A second installment will cover the policies and guidelines law firms have put in place to govern use of generative AI for law firm professionals. A third will examine how law firms have balanced internal tool development versus purchasing tools from third-party vendors.

In the aftermath of the infamous case of a New York lawyer submitting a ChatGPT-generated legal brief with fake citations, many law firms prohibited access to public generative AI platforms. David Cunningham, chief innovation officer at Reed Smith, said the lawyer played a dual role in the profession’s adoption of generative AI—by exacerbating hesitancy and raising awareness of AI’s risks at the same time.