How Data Science Is Rewriting Big Law Playbooks
Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor
When Cleary Gottlieb snapped up Springbok AI earlier this year it signalled something big: law firms are no longer just buying technology, they’re building it too. AI in law is big business. That transaction brought ten data scientists into Cleary’s fold and marked a departure from outsourcing everything according to a Reuters report and a report in the Financial Times.
Law firms have long dabbled in legal tech and data analytics and LawFuel has reported on some of the leading AI-savvy law firms, but generative AI has lit a fire under the industry. Internal tech teams are now seen as key rather than exotic. Cleary still works with third-party vendors — for example its partnership with Stockholm-based platform Legora — but the firm leadership decided that developing AI tools internally is essential to power their workflows.
All of law is drenched in words and documents. Those are data points. With Springbok’s team based in London and operating between the US and Europe, Cleary targets global scale.
Firms are chasing people who can sit at the crossroads of law and tech.
Donna Harris, Cleary’s global director of legal recruiting, says they still prize classic lawyer skills such as leadership determination and foundational legal training, but they want recruits who understand change and aren’t terrified of the tech.
Back in 2019 Simmons & Simmons bought legal engineering business Wavelength. That made them early adopters of embedding data science in legal practice. Their in-house data science team built tools that let them move quickly. For example they developed a system to compare dozens of witness statements for inconsistencies, work that used to fall to paralegals. The tech caught anomalies, sped up work and helped clients.
Across London large firms like Freshfields, Linklaters and Slaughter and May are already recruiting for data science roles. Alex Brown of Simmons predicts more deals like the Springbok and Wavelength ones. Demand for talent with both AI and data science skills is high and competition will be intense.
Growth of in-house data science capacity gives firms an edge. Douwe Groenevelt, formerly head of legal at ASML and now running AI consultancy Viridea, says embedding AI creates competitive distinction.
Expect firms to hire fewer associates where AI engineering can handle repeatable work but make no mistake: young lawyers will still be needed. Their skills must evolve. Understanding large language models and how they work matters far more than knowing how to code them from scratch.
Contrary to the doom-mongers, some firms argue AI will actually increase legal work. DLA Piper’s global co-chair of technology Gareth Stokes points out that while efficiency gains exist, they are overwhelmed by the rise in client demand for complex advice. Legal tech frees lawyers to focus on strategy and judgment, which only multiplies the workload.
