Stinson LLP

Stinson LLP, a Kansas City-based Am Law 200 firm, faced a challenge common to large enterprise law firms: attorneys were spending significant time on routine, high-volume tasks — drafting deposition outlines, summarizing M&A documents, conducting legal research, and reviewing contracts — leaving less bandwidth for the strategic and analytical work that drives client value. Across multiple practice divisions, the firm needed a scalable solution that could meaningfully reduce time spent on repeatable legal workflows without compromising accuracy or professional judgment. The status quo meant attorneys absorbing administrative overhead that delayed higher-value client deliverables.

Stinson evaluated generative AI options through a structured internal pilot involving more than 100 attorneys across multiple practice divisions before committing to a firmwide deployment. The firm selected Harvey AI, a domain-specific large language model platform purpose-built for legal and professional services. Attorneys used Harvey for transcript and deposition outline generation, M&A deal summaries, legal research and trend analysis, contract issue identification, and clause drafting. To extend the platform's research capabilities, Stinson also deployed Ask LexisNexis, which pipes LexisNexis legal content directly into Harvey — combining a generative AI layer with authoritative legal source material. The pilot-to-firmwide rollout model allowed the firm to validate attorney adoption and workflow fit before full commitment.

Pilot feedback from the 100+ participating attorneys was described by managing partner Allison Murdock as overwhelmingly positive, providing the evidence base for a firmwide rollout. The rollout is expected to deliver measurable improvements across several dimensions:

• Faster document workflows: Deposition outlines, M&A summaries, and contract drafts generated in a fraction of manual time
• Broader attorney access: Platform extended beyond the pilot cohort to the full firm
• Enhanced client service: Attorneys freed to focus on analysis, strategy, and risk mitigation rather than routine drafting
• Improved cross-firm collaboration: Shared AI tooling creates consistent workflow standards across practice groups

• A 100+ attorney pilot across diverse practice groups is a credible proof-of-concept structure — broad enough to surface edge cases, contained enough to manage risk before firmwide commitment.
• Pairing a generative AI platform with a domain-specific legal content provider (Harvey + LexisNexis) produces a more capable workflow tool than either system alone.
• Framing AI adoption around client service quality — not headcount reduction — reduces attorney resistance and aligns with professional culture.
• Firmwide rollout should follow demonstrated positive feedback, not precede it; piloting first creates internal advocates who drive adoption.
• Practice-group diversity in the pilot cohort is essential — legal AI use cases vary significantly between litigation, M&A, and transactional work.