Practice Development Manager - Litigation & Enforcement

Ropes & Gray develops OpenAI tool for deal diligence. Fri, 25th Sep 2026 (Today) Ropes & Gray is developing an AI-powered diligence tool with OpenAI for transactional due diligence work. The proprietary system is being built to produce issue-level diligence reports in hours, rather than after several days of manual review by teams of lawyers. It is designed to follow the same steps lawyers use when reviewing a transaction data room, including identifying risks, flagging exceptions and surfacing critical issues earlier in the diligence process. The project is part of a wider collaboration with OpenAI to create custom agentic AI workflows for transactional due diligence. The system is intended to support lawyers by reducing the time spent assembling findings and allowing more time for legal analysis, deal structuring and client advice. Deal review Due diligence is a core part of mergers and acquisitions and other transactions, where legal teams assess contracts, liabilities and regulatory issues before a deal proceeds. In competitive bids, speed can affect how quickly advisers identify problems and shape negotiating positions. The new tool is intended to make early review more repeatable by embedding the firm's methodology in the workflow. Its output will remain subject to lawyer oversight. "Our clients rely on us for judgment on the deals, disputes, and regulatory challenges that define their industries," said Julie Jones, chair of Ropes & Gray. "With OpenAI, we are bringing frontier AI to the most time-intensive legal work, starting with transactional due diligence. Our goal is to put our lawyers' insight and experience to work earlier in the process, at greater speed and depth, so our clients get faster execution, sharper analysis, and the industry-leading counsel they expect from Ropes & Gray," Jones said. AI strategy The collaboration sits within a broader AI strategy centred on using multiple tools rather than relying on a single platform. Ropes & Gray said it has built what it described as a multi-tool architecture, alongside training for lawyers using those systems. Each AI deployment operates within a security framework, with attorney oversight embedded at every stage. The firm did not disclose financial terms or a deployment timetable. Law firms have been experimenting with generative AI across contract review, document summarisation, research and internal knowledge management, but transactional diligence remains a particularly demanding use case because of the volume of documents involved and the need for consistent judgment across large data sets. By focusing on issue-level reporting, Ropes & Gray appears to be targeting one of the most labour-intensive parts of deal work, where junior and senior lawyers often work in parallel to identify change-of-control clauses, consent requirements, litigation risks and other material points. The system is intended to deliver faster access to analysis while maintaining privacy, consistency and legal judgment. The OpenAI collaboration marks a milestone in the firm's broader technology strategy.

Weekly update - 21st september 2026. Welcome to this week's update, where we bring you the latest moves, promotions, and strategic appointments shaping the legal industry. Partner Moves Individual UK & Ireland Travers Smith has hired Arbitration specialist Andy Moody from Baker McKenzie to strengthen its London Disputes practice. Latham & Watkins has hired Private Equity Real Estate Partner Patrick Hennessy from Gibson Dunn in London, adding to a run of investment in its Real Estate practice. Bird & Bird is strengthening its AI offering with the appointment of Michelle Sally as a Partner in its London Commercial team. Michelle joins from TLT, where she worked as a Partner. McDermott Will & Schulte announced that Natalie Blanc has joined the firm as a Partner in its Transactions Practice Group in London. Natalie joins from Ropes & Gray, where she worked as a Counsel. Hill Dickinson have strengthened their Business Services Group, appointing Rhiannon Paine as a Partner to their national Restructuring and Insolvency practice. Rhiannon joins from Simmons & Simmons, where she worked as a Managing Associate. Carpmaels & Ransford has hired Christopher Stothers as a Partner in their Patent Litigation practice group. Christopher joins from Freshfields, where he worked as a Partner, and is based in London and Dublin. Travers Smith LLP has announced the hire of Laura Houët as a Partner in the Funds practice. Laura joins from CMS, where she was a Partner in the firm's Financial Services team and Global Co-Head of ESG. Laura is based in London. Pinsent Masons has appointed Fred Nicolle as a Partner in its Intellectual Property team in London. Fred joins from Simmons & Simmons, where he worked as a Managing Associate. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has hired a Financial Regulatory Partner from Kirkland & Ellis, as the firm continues to strengthen its burgeoning transatlantic finance bench. Sumit Indwar joined Kirkland in April 2025 following 20 years at Linklaters, where he qualified in 2006. Sumit is based in London. Travers Smith has hired its fourth Partner in a fortnight with the addition of Mayer Brown's UK Antitrust Head Daniel Vowden. Vowden joins as a Partner, splitting his time between the firm's London office and its recently opened Brussels office, following three years at Mayer Brown. William Fry has appointed Cormac McGrady as a Partner in its Corporate / M&A department. Cormac joins from Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where he worked as a Counsel. Cormac is based in Dublin. Walker Morris is adding to its Equity Capital Markets team with the appointment of DLA Piper's former Co-Head of UK Equity Capital Markets, Martin Penn. Martin brings more than 20 years of experience to lead and expand a growing portfolio of mid-market public company advisory work. Martin is based in London. Two international law firms have appointed new Partners in Brussels as they look to expand in the city and increase their EU law capabilities. Francesco Maria Salerno has joined Italian firm BonelliErede as a Local Partner, while Dutch-qualified Michael Frese becomes Partner at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader (HLC). Salerno was most recently Managing Partner of the Brussels office of Gianni & Origoni. Frese, meanwhile, joins HLC after spending his entire 13-year career at Skadden Arps, where he was a Counsel. Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has strengthened its European life sciences and healthcare practice with the appointment of Eda Zhuleku as a Partner in Munich and Head of Life Sciences Regulatory Europe. Eda joins from A&O Shearman, where she worked as a Counsel. Harneys announced that it has hired Paul Chiellini-Morge as a Partner in their Corporate/M&A practice. Paul joins from Maples, where he worked as an Of Counsel. White & Case has hired a Senior M&A Partner from Freshfields in Hamburg, as exits from the magic circle firm in continental Europe continue. The firm has hired M&A, Infrastructure, and Private Capital Partner Natascha Doll, who has been Co-Head of the firm's CEE/CIS practice since 2019. Middle East Hogan Lovells Cadwalader has strengthened its Middle East platform with the appointment of Barbara Schwartz as Head of UAE Tax, based in Dubai. Barbara joins from ATOZ Tax Advisers, where she worked as a Principal. Sullivan & Cromwell is hiring Weil London Co-Managing Partner David Avery-Gee and Corporate Partner Sarah Flaherty, adding two senior M&A lawyers to its growing City office. Avery-Gee currently co-leads Weil's London office alongside Jonathan Wood and heads its London M&A practice. Flaherty is a Partner in Weil's London Corporate group, advising on public and private M&A, restructurings and joint ventures. Proskauer has hired veteran Antitrust Partner Edouard Sarrazin from DLA Piper in Paris, along with a Counsel and two Associates, building on a series of strategic Partner additions in France across key practice areas, including private funds, private equity and M&A. Sarrazin joins Proskauer after more than 11 years as a Partner at DLA Piper. Promotions & Appointments

Former Paul Hastings GC Adele Maloney joins Ropes & Gray in top legal role. The longtime Kirkland & Ellis lawyer, who most recently oversaw risk management as general counsel at Paul Hastings, will succeed retiring Ropes & Gray general counsel Peter Erichsen. Ropes & Gray has hired former Paul Hastings General Counsel Adele Maloney as a partner and the firm's next general counsel, bringing aboard a lawyer whose career has spanned high-stakes M&A work, law firm risk management and professional responsibility matters. Exclusive content. A Subscription is Required to Access this Content. * Strategic Intelligence - Business of law market insights from experts and analysts across all major legal markets * Integrated Insights - Compass and Radar context built right into articles. * Personalized Experience - Tailored homepage content and curated newsletters. * Smart Search & Alerts - Powerful search functionality and real-time updates. Questions? Contact us at [email protected] | 1-855-808-4530 (Americas) | 44(0) 800 098 386009 (UK & Europe) NOT FOR REPRINT Trudy Knockless Kirupa Pushparaj became chief legal officer for Mews, a tech provider for the hospitality industry, in April. September 04, 2026 Michael W. Peregrine Corporate boards should consider the essay's implications for governance, enterprise risk management, and corporate citizenship, with general counsel well-positioned to facilitate discussions on preparedness, employment impact, social safety nets, taxation of AI profits, and emerging existential risks. September 04, 2026 Michael Gennaro Epstein joins the fleet management and connected mobility technology provider following its acquisition by private equity firm Respida Capital earlier this year, bringing more than two decades of legal leadership experience across healthcare, life sciences, logistics and privacy-related matters. September 03, 2026 Thomas Spigolon The former Georgia U.S. attorney had resigned in the wake of Trump's challenge to the 2020 election results before joining the Am Law 50 firm. September 02, 2026 Michael Gennaro The Obama administration veteran and former Covington partner joins Austin-based Civitech as the political technology company expands its voter data and outreach platform used by Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations. September 02, 2026