Senior AI, Innovation and Knowledge Lawyer or Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with the practice and business team to develop and deliver a firm-wide legal tech and AI strategy, balancing experimentation with robust governance, including contributing to a cross-functional AI Steering Group 
• Identify, prioritise and manage AI and automation use cases aligned to client value, efficiency, quality and risk management in legal service delivery 
• Lead pilots for technology-assisted legal documents and processes, building business cases and recommendations for scale and impact 
• Develop and evolve confident client messaging on our use of AI 
• Contribute to thoughtful consideration of return on investment, pricing and profitability

• Work with the practice, IT Training and User Engagement Manager, and Standards and Audit Manager to champion effective use of knowledge, AI and legal tech tools (existing and future), driving adoption and value 
• Contribute to training and guidance that supports lawyers to adopt and evolve new ways of working while maintaining professional standards

• Work with Heads of Department, Knowledge Lawyers/Champions and Business Team colleagues to develop and deliver a firm-wide knowledge strategy, including legal knowhow, training, sector insights, scopes, credentials and resources 
• Establish and maintain data quality, relevance and governance standards, recognising that effective KM and AI depend on high-quality, up-to-date content 
• Take an evidence-based approach to knowledge management across teams, recognising differing needs across practice areas 
• Strengthen the connection between knowledge, legal delivery and BD/CRM activity, and make recommendations for market-facing innovation 
• Review and lead the Knowledge Champions group, including agenda setting and chairing meetings 
• Provide senior leadership, coordination and development of Knowledge Lawyer roles and the Standards and Audit Manager (via dotted reporting lines)

• Work with the practice and IT team to improve knowledge sharing processes, enabling fast, intuitive access to a high-quality knowledge repository 
• Act as joint project owner for a new centralised KM system (requirements gathering, vendor selection, content migration, rollout and adoption) 
• Explore opportunities to embed knowledge into systems lawyers use day to day to increase engagement and knowledge sharing

About You

• Qualified lawyer with significant experience in practice, or a strong legal knowledge management background 
• Senior experience in a commercial law firm or equivalent professional services environment 
• Genuine passion for and expertise in legal technology and AI in a regulated context 
• Understanding of emerging legal technologies and their practical application 
• Experience managing the full lifecycle of innovation, from idea and business case through to pilot, production and adoption 
• Experience working with generative AI tools and delivering real AI and automation use cases
• Experience applying AI governance and ethical standards, including risk assessment and compliance considerations 
• Strong understanding of data quality, data structures and data governance 
• Experience working with IT teams to ensure integration with systems, security and data protection standards 
• Collaborative working style with the ability to understand how lawyers work in practice
• Strategic mindset with the ability to develop and deliver long-term knowledge and innovation strategy 
• Sound judgement, pragmatism and commercial awareness, focused on value creation 
• Strong influencing skills with the confidence to engage partners and junior lawyers alike 
• Experience leading organisational change and driving adoption of new systems and tools 
• Ability to build relationships quickly and work autonomously with key stakeholders 
• Strong analytical, solution-focused approach and ability to operate in an environment of experimentation and continuous improvement
• Clear and persuasive communicator able to simplify complex concepts 
• Understanding of changing client needs and ability to develop innovative client-facing solutions

• Experience leading complex cross-functional projects, including KM systems or major tech transformation 
• Strong understanding of the business model of a modern law firm or similar professional services environment

What are we like to work for?

About
At Bates Wells, we’re not the average law firm. We believe that actions speak louder than words. We strive to do the right thing as a business and to help our clients make a positive impact on their people and society.Recruitment at Bates Wells – The use of AIAt Bates Wells, we are committed to transparency and fairness in our recruitment processes. We understand the importance of ensuring that our methods align with best practices and respect the privacy and rights of all candidates.We would like to clarify that we do not use artificial intelligence (AI) to screen, sift, score, reject, or approve any recruitment decisions, at any stage of our recruitment process. Our recruitment decisions are made by hiring managers and the HR team, ensuring a personal and thoughtful approach to each candidate.We do utilise AI technology in a limited capacity to enhance our recruitment process. Specifically, we use Metaview to record and transcribe interviews. This tool helps us maintain accurate records of interviews, to support objective scoring of  answers based on evidence and ensures that we can review and reflect on the conversations held during the recruitment process. Importantly, Metaview is not used to evaluate candidates or make any decisions regarding their suitability for a role.We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of privacy and fairness in our recruitment processes and will continue to review and update our practices to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and guidelines.