Key facts
- City law firm Shoosmiths has launched a generative AI tool in partnership with Microsoft.
- The tool, named Project Apollo, is designed to assist junior lawyers with contract reviews.
- It aims to accelerate learning and enhance transparency in the contract review process.
- The AI tool has undergone a year-long pilot and building program with Microsoft.
- Shoosmiths confirmed that senior lawyers will always review and approve AI-generated outputs.
City law firm Shoosmiths has launched a generative AI tool, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, to aid junior lawyers in reviewing contracts. The tool, named Project Apollo, is intended to accelerate the learning process for developing lawyers and increase transparency in contract review.
Following a year-long pilot and development program with Microsoft, the AI tool is trained on insights from Shoosmiths' legal professionals, particularly from its mergers and acquisitions practice. David Jackson, chief executive of Shoosmiths, stated that the tool is part of a significant investment in the firm's AI capabilities. He explained that Project Apollo will not only reduce the time spent on contract review but also improve the quality and consistency of advice, speed up deal delivery, and fast-track the development of junior lawyers.
Shoosmiths has emphasized that a senior lawyer will always review and approve any outputs generated by the AI tool. This development comes amid increased scrutiny of AI use by junior lawyers in the legal sector, with other firms reportedly enhancing oversight due to issues like AI hallucinations, as seen in a recent High Court criticism of a junior lawyer's AI-generated letters.