What one Big Law firm told 400 young lawyers about using AI

• Latham & Watkins gathered over 400 associates for its second-annual AI Academy this past weekend.
• The firm is leading Big Law in deploying artificial intelligence in response to client demands.
• Lawyers pushed for adoption while reminding associates to always check the accuracy of tool outputs.

The legal profession is facing disruption, and its newest recruits are on the front lines.

On Friday, Latham & Watkins packed its first-year associate class, more than 400 lawyers in total, into a Washington, D.C., hotel for a mandatory two-day "AI Academy." The firm laid out how partners already use tools like Harvey, an OpenAI-backed legal tech startup, and Microsoft Copilot. It also brought in outside voices, including Meta's top privacy lawyer, Steve Satterfield.

It was all a not-so-subtle cue that artificial intelligence isn't optional, but part of the firm's standard operating procedure. The Big Law firm hit $7 billion in revenue last year, making it the second-highest-grossing firm in the US, and employs over 3,500 lawyers globally.

Latham partner Michael Rubin, who represents tech clients in high-stakes litigation and regulatory fights, says the firm is eyeing AI as a "generational opportunity" to equip all of its lawyers with the most advanced tools and provide clients better, more efficient service.

"Turning away from it as opposed to embracing is just not an option," Rubin told Business Insider from Washington on Saturday. "We are going to run as fast as we can toward it."

The routine legal work often handed to associates — think legal research, citation checks, and first drafts — is exactly the type of task that firms can automate with software. The job-market anxiety is real. Many believe that law firms will need fewer associates to drive profits even higher, and in-house legal teams are already exploring ways to reduce head count.

The global firm is pitching a win-win. It trains associates to use the tools that boost revenue and client service, and those early-career lawyers stay relevant as the nature of their work changes.

Over the weekend, Rubin encouraged associates to seize the "powerful new tool" in their kit.

"It's a revolution that we're all experiencing," Rubin told Business Insider. "It doesn't change the fundamental point that at Latham, we provide the best client service and that means ensuring that the work product that goes out the door is always exceptional."

Proceed at your own risk

Across Big Law, client pressure has turned curiosity into urgency. In-house counsel want efficiency gains and are asking law firms about their AI plans. Firms are now racing to pilot and roll out software to automate mundane tasks. Results are mixed.

This spring, a Latham lawyer defending Anthropic in a copyright lawsuit made headlines after an expert's testimony cited an article that does not exist. The lawyer said the mistake stemmed from using Anthropic's own chatbot, Claude, which fabricated an article title and authors.

Adam Ziegler, who leads Latham's AI strategy, pushed firmwide adoption while also stressing the importance of personal responsibility. Lawyers are expected to "review the output of the tools they have" and to "keep their hands on the wheel," Ziegler told Business Insider.

This was Latham's second run of the AI Academy and the first time it was offered to first-year associates across global offices. Senior lawyers walked through actual cases that were sped up by using AI. Junior litigators participated in breakout sessions on relevant tools, while young corporate attorneys discussed how the tech is transforming the way clients do business.

Fiona Maclean, a longtime Latham partner and vice chair of the technology and AI practices, says the training will continue long after the weekend academy. It runs structured training programs for different associate years and offers skills training on a rolling basis. Rubin says the firm is also developing a virtual AI Academy for lawyers of any experience level, launching early next year.

Rubin says he doesn't believe the tech will cannibalize opportunities for junior attorneys.

"We think this is an opportunity for lawyers to step up," Rubin said, "and do more engaging work, more strategic work — the very work that clients turn to Latham to do."

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