A&O Shearman and Harvey to launch agents for complex legal work

A&O Shearman and Harvey are launching AI agents designed to handle complex legal tasks using multi-step reasoning. The agents incorporate the firm’s legal expertise and will be deployed internally as well as made available to clients and other law firms. Initial applications cover antitrust filing analysis, cybersecurity, fund formation and loan review.

The initiative builds on A&O Shearman’s development of AI-powered legal products, which it licenses to clients as software services and uses within its own practice. Lawyers across its global network test early versions and help refine functionality. Its ContractMatrix platform supports legal work, while ContractMatrix Vantage has been deployed for a major U.S. bank to assess contracts against playbooks tailored to regulatory requirements.

The firm’s advisory work spans AI regulation, privacy, intellectual property, transactions, litigation, antitrust and export controls. Projects include a legal-risk toolkit covering U.S., UK and EU laws for organizations deploying generative AI, a governance framework and supporting software for a life sciences company, and advice to Partnership on AI on draft generative AI safety protocols. Its internal deployment experience also informs work on training, information security and data management.