Clifford Chance

The firm's latest investment in AI technologies follows the global roll out last year of its own private and secured AI tool 'Clifford Chance Assist'

Global law firm Clifford Chance today announced that it is expanding its use of AI technologies with the deployment of Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Viva Suite for its employees globally.

Clifford Chance is one of the first organisations globally, to deploy both Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Viva Suite at scale across its entire workforce. These solutions use artificial intelligence and natural language processing to enhance productivity and employee experience by automating a variety of daily tasks such as meeting and task management, drafting emails, inbox management and access to continuous learning and insights with Viva Insights and Viva Learning.

This latest investment by the firm in the integration of a holistic suite of AI-powered workplace solutions in collaboration with Microsoft, is a significant milestone in Clifford Chance's digital transformation journey.

Clifford Chance was one of the first law firms globally to build its own private and secured AI tool, Clifford Chance Assist, developed on Microsoft's Azure OpenAI platform. Roll out to the entire firm commenced last year following extensive trials with over 1800 users to explore and validate use cases across our operations and Practice areas. 

Use of these solutions, including Copilot for Microsoft 365, are within a global, Principles and Policy framework that enables responsible AI adoption and ensure that client consent is sought, where appropriate, when these solutions are deployed for client work outside the firm's own business operations.

The firm's AI Principles and Policy framework align with international best practices, grounded in fairness, transparency, accountability, and privacy. Any legal output generated at Clifford Chance by an AI system is identified as such and validated by a qualified lawyer in that jurisdiction.  

Paul Greenwood, Chief Technology Officer at Clifford Chance said: "Harnessing digital innovation to enhance our business operations and continuously improve client delivery has always been at the heart of our successful growth strategy. We are now excited to be one of the first organisations to be rolling out Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Viva Suite globally at scale as part of our suite of AI-powered workplace solutions.  This will empower our workforce to automate routine tasks enabling greater productivity, faster turnaround and increased client satisfaction."

Nick Hedderman, Senior Director, Modern Work Business Group, Microsoft UK, said: "Clifford Chance is driving real innovation in the legal sector by combining the power of Copilot for Microsoft 365 with Viva Suite as the tool for enabling change. This not only signifies dedication to AI-led innovation but also reflects the immense potential for everyone who works in the organisation. The integration of these AI-powered tools will allow Clifford Chance to empower employees to automate routine tasks, drive productivity, and elevate client satisfaction. We are proud to collaborate with them on this digital transformation, building the foundations for the law firm of the future."