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The Shift: The Techification of the Law Firm C-Suite

When it comes to viewing law firms as businesses, most have long followed a fairly typical model. The law firm C-suite historically comprised the traditional roles like CEO and CFO, and possibly even CTO (chief technology officer). A handful of firms started adding the CINO (chief innovation officer) role more recently, but it was far from universal.

Enter generative AI. While many were busy focusing on how the technology that took the industry by storm would impact the practice of law, its shockwaves were reaching all the way to the venerable Big Law C-suite. The past year-and-a-half has seen the proliferation of new, tech-centric management roles at firms that are looking to gain a competitive edge by getting the most out of generative AI.

The Conversation

The earliest movers in implementing law firm AI leadership pulled no punches when it came to stressing the importance of not just the technology, but its oversight as well. One of the earliest notable AI hires, DLA Piper Chief Data Scientist Bennett Borden, put it bluntly in March 2023: “I don’t see how any firm that doesn’t fully invest in these kinds of systems can remain competitive, even in the next three to five years. The analogy that I use often is that lawyers who don’t understand this technology and use it are like the dinosaurs the day before the meteor hit: they’re extinct. They just don’t know it.”

Not surprisingly, some of the quickest firms to recognize that capitalizing on generative AI would require the right internal resources and talent were those who already had CINOs. For example, Reed Smith created a Director of Applied AI role, “to add more technical and scientific depth to not only our ability to evaluate the capabilities of the services, but also to help teach them and tune them over time.” 

Similarly, Orrick highlighted the importance of getting creative about the service offerings and business models around using generative AI, rather than merely relying on the same array of AI tools as the competition. “It is nothing new that all the law firms have been working with the same set of Legos. But the difference is with those same pieces, how do you use them? And how much benefit do you derive?” noted Orrick CINO Wendy Butler Curtis.

Big Law took note, and many firms quickly followed the lead of the early movers.

The Significance

The proliferation of tech-centric law firm C-suite roles has been rapid, particularly in recent months. Finding the right talent, however, has not necessarily been easy, and in many instances it has required luring stars away from other industries.

For example, in the course of one month this past spring, Latham & Watkins, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, DLA Piper and Reed Smith all hired technology specialists in newly created roles, sourcing their candidates from major banks, consulting firms, legal tech providers and other law firms. A similar trend followed just a few months later, with four additional tech-centric C-suite moves occurring at law firms in a matter of weeks, including at McGuireWoods, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, Lowenstein Sandler and Freshfields. And in July, Cooley made headlines when it hired its first-ever CINO, nabbing David Wang from Wilson Sonsini, where he also created the role of CINO in 2020.

Echoing Curtis’s earlier sentiments that the differentiator would be not the generative AI tools themselves, but rather how teams use them and staff around them, newly minted McGuireWoods Chief Innovation and Artificial Intelligence Officer Thomas Trujillo noted at the time of his hire that the challenge for law firms is truly understanding how they plan to use generative AI. “Because, in fact, how we use something might be much different than how another firm does, just because we approach business differently, or are set up to operate differently,” he said. “So you have really got to figure out what it means for your firm. And that takes time, patience and resources.”

Given this individualistic approach, the C-suite titles emerging at law firms are proving to be anything but formulaic. In addition to Trujilo’s chief innovation and artificial intelligence officer (CIAIO?) title, we’ve seen the emergence of a wide-ranging titles including CIIO (chief innovation and information officer), chief innovation and value officer (CIVO), chief process and AI officer, chief data and AI officer (CDAIO) and more.

As firms continue to strive to differentiate themselves in the generative AI arena, the game of C-suite musical chairs will likely continue to play out in the coming months.

The Information

Want to know more? Here’s what we’ve discovered in the ALM Global Newsroom:

• Big Law's AI Talent War Aims to Influence Software Development
  
• Technology Up Front in Latest C-Suite Roles in Big Law

• Cooley Hires First Chief Innovation Officer in Wilson Sonsini’s David Wang

• For Law Firms, Will Generative AI Really Be a Major Competitive Differentiator?

• New McGuireWoods AI Leader Discusses Tech's Opportunities and Hurdles for Law Firms

• DLA Piper’s Chief Data Scientist: Firms Resisting AI Are 'Dinosaurs Before the Meteorite Hit'

• In AI Talent Battle, Big Law May Be the Underdog

• Tracking Generative AI: How Evolving AI Models Are Impacting Legal

The Forecast

The veritable alphabet soup of law firm AI titles aside, the techification of the law firm C-suite is a trend that can be expected to continue through the rest of this year and into next. As generative AI tools themselves—and the industry’s understanding of them—continue to mature, the need for AI-focused roles will only increase. 

While the shift may not be as monumental as the oft-predicted death of the billable hour, this AI-driven shift in the management structures across Big Law is a sign that not only is the technology here to stay, but that it’s already changing business models in an industry long-averse to change. 

The game of musical chairs is not over, but no one will want to be the last one standing.

Stephanie Wilkins is the Editor-in-Chief of Legaltech News at ALM. Contact her at swilkins@alm.com or follow her on LinkedIn.