She was the global director of knowledge and AI enablement at rival firm BCLP
Hayley Harris, the former global director of knowledge and AI enablement at global firm BCLP, has joined rival firm Pinsent Masons as its inaugural global chief knowledge and AI adoption officer.
In her new role, Harris will lead the execution of Pinsent Masons’ knowledge strategy as well as oversee the firm’s choice and implementation of legal generative AI tools. She will collaborate with director of transformation Neil Green, who remains in charge of day-to-day generative AI deployment at the firm. Harris will also take a seat on the firm’s innovation and change board.
The firm said the global chief knowledge and AI adoption officer position was established to facilitate client service enhancement, long-term growth, and competitiveness through the firm’s adoption of AI.
Last month, Pinsent Masons had to refer itself to the Solicitors Regulatory Authority after a junior lawyer’s use of AI in filings went unchecked, leading UK Insolvency and Companies Court judge Mark Mullen to call out London partner Steven Cottee and solicitor Samantha Poulton. In the process, the firm had to shoulder its former clients’ costs over the incident.
“The constant proliferation of generative AI solutions means we need someone who can cut through the noise and help us choose the best tools for us to deploy to support our clients in meaningful ways,” said Matt Peers, Pinsent Masons’ global chief operating officer, in a statement.
Harris added that clients were being pressured to demonstrate increased value through technology use.
At BCLP, Harris was part of the knowledge strategy team and delivered practical solutions for leveraging knowledge and generative AI tools. She spearheaded a global team of multidisciplinary knowledge management professionals.
She is admitted to practice in England and Wales and once operated as a property litigator. She also recorded a stint at Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman). She received her LLB from the University of Reading and her LLM from the College of Law in London.
Harris will work from Pinsent Masons’ London office.
In April, global firm Sullivan & Cromwell was driven to issue an apology to the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York after AI hallucinations were incorporated into an emergency motion it filed.
