Overview
- Kirkland disclosed on Thursday that it has set aside roughly $500 million to build a custom AI platform for use only by the firm.
- The firm plans to spend more than $100 million this year and hundreds of millions more over the next three to four years, funding the project from record 2025 profits that topped $10 billion.
- Design work will draw on input from 250 lawyers, including 100 partners, and the build will use both the firm’s data scientists and outside technology hires while prohibiting external resale.
- Kirkland says it will keep using some third‑party legal AI tools even as it develops its own system to replace multiple separate programmes for mandates.
- The move follows a wider trend of firms creating bespoke AI since 2023 and comes after recent court filings that contained AI 'hallucinations,' which has increased pressure on accuracy, compliance, and how firms handle staffing and pricing.