Shoosmiths unveils its self-developed generative AI platform, built with support from Microsoft and trained on the firm’s legal know-how
UK law firm Shoosmiths today (24 June) unveiled Project Apollo, its self-developed generative AI contract review tool, which is now being deployed across the firm following a year-long build and pilot programme with support from Microsoft. The tool, which runs in Microsoft’s Azure environment, is designed to explain its reasoning and surface Shoosmiths’ know-how and guidance notes.
The firm hopes that the AI tool’s transparency will give junior lawyers the opportunity to accelerate their learning. There is a strong emphasis on upskiling by design, with curated explanations and guidance creating a real-time learning environment. Designed to mirror the way a senior associate would justify changes to a partner, every step of the contract review process is said to be accompanied by an explanation of its reasoning grounded in the underlying know-how, providing visibility into how recommendations are reached.
Contracts are marked up against a playbook and gold-standard drafting derived from Shoosmiths’ dealmakers, rather than what the firm refers to as “opaque ‘black-box’ models.”
David Jackson, chief executive of Shoosmiths, said: “With our platform, developing lawyers can learn more, faster. Our self-developed generative AI software enables the firm to deploy its collective dealmaking expertise at scale, allowing lawyers to not only see what amendments have been made, but most significantly, why.”
Darren Hardman, CEO of Microsoft UK & Ireland, added: “Law firms hold enormous expertise and the challenge is always how to share it. Project Apollo is a strong example of AI doing what it does best: taking the knowledge of Shoosmiths’ most experienced lawyers and making it available to everyone in the firm, at every stage of their career. The fact that it explains its reasoning at every step makes it a genuine learning tool, not just a productivity one. That’s what good AI adoption looks like, and we’re proud to have supported them in building it.”
We’ll be bringing you more on tech strategy from Shoosmiths’ senior leadership in the coming days.
