Director of Artificial Intelligence

Founded in 1920, Akerman is recognized as one of the countrys premier law firms, with more than 700 lawyers in 25 offices throughout the United States. Akerman is seeking a Director of Artificial Intelligence for its IT Department.

The Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will lead the firms AI strategy and innovation agenda, driving the discovery, evaluation, and implementation of AI-powered solutions across legal practice areas and business operations. This leadership role will focus on harnessing the potential of generative AI, machine learning, and automation to improve legal workflows, enhance client service delivery, and increase operational efficiency. The Director will collaborate closely with attorneys, technologists, legal research, and business operations teams to deliver impactful, scalable solutions aligned with the firms strategic priorities.

Key Responsibilities:

AI Strategy & Innovation

• Define and execute the firmwide AI roadmap, aligned with strategic business goals and legal service delivery models.
• Identify emerging AI technologies and assess their applicability to legal practice areas such as litigation, M&A, regulatory, and intellectual property.
• Serve as a thought leader internally and externally, educating stakeholders on the role of AI in the evolving legal market.

Practice-Specific AI Solutions

• Partner with legal practice groups to explore and pilot AI applications tailored to their unique workflows—e.g., contract analysis, due diligence, legal research, litigation analytics.
• Develop use cases in collaboration with partners and practice innovation leads, with clear ROI and business justification.
• Support practice innovation labs and client-facing AI initiatives.

Automation & Workflow Optimization

• Lead the implementation of intelligent automation tools (e.g., document automation, robotic process automation, NLP-based tools) to streamline internal processes and reduce manual effort.
• Leverage AI to enhance knowledge management, matter lifecycle efficiency, document review, and client collaboration platforms.

Governance & Risk Management

• Establish protocols for responsible AI use in line with data privacy, ethical, and regulatory standards applicable to the legal industry.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity, risk management, and compliance teams to evaluate risk exposure in AI-driven applications.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Build and lead a multidisciplinary team of technologists, researchers, attorneys, and external vendors.
• Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration among IT, KM, legal operations, and other administrative teams.
• Provide training and change management support for AI solution adoption across the firm.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, AI/ML, Legal Informatics, Data Science, or a related field. JD or legal industry experience strongly preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in legal innovation, technology strategy, or AI solution development, ideally in professional services or Am Law 100 context.
• Proven track record of successfully delivering AI/automation projects within complex environments.
• Strong understanding of legal workflows, practice management systems, and knowledge management infrastructure.
• Expertise with technologies such as generative AI (e.g., LLMs), NLP, contract analysis tools, legal analytics platforms, and RPA solutions.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.

Key Attributes:

• Visionary mindset with strong execution capabilities.
• Collaborative leadership style with high emotional intelligence.
• Passionate about legal innovation and emerging technologies.
• Adept at navigating change in a partnership-driven culture.

Preferred Tools & Platforms:

• Generative AI APIs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, etc.)
• Legal-specific AI platforms (e.g., Kira, Harvey, Vincent AI, Co-Counsel. Lexis+ AI)
• Workflow and automation tools (e.g., Power Automate, UiPath)
• Microsoft 365, iManage, SharePoint, Co-Pilot

We offer an excellent compensation and benefits package. Please submit your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements. EOE

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