Weil Starts Special AI Program for Summer Associates

Weil Gotshal & Manges has launched a new training program for some of its summer associates, who will spend their 1L stint working on the ‘development and use of AI in legal practice’ alongside the firm’s Lawyer Augmented Solutions Engineering and Research (LASER) team.

Those who are selected for 2027 will also receive offers to return the following year as members of Weil’s 2028 2L Summer Associate Program, ‘giving them early exposure to the development of legal technologies followed by experience applying them in legal practice’.

Sounds like a great opportunity for those young lawyers who really want to be hands-on with legal AI.

— Legal Innovators New York Conference – Nov 17 + 18 —

In terms of what it will include, the New York-based firm said that over the course of the 10-week program, those selected ‘will work on active legal projects, learn Python from the ground up, build a neural network and explore the technologies underlying the large language models increasingly used in legal practice’.

‘Working under the guidance of a dedicated LASER Architect mentor, participants will help develop legal software applications and contribute to academic research on artificial intelligence and the law. Participants will also take part in select elements of Weil’s broader summer programming,’ they added.

Commenting on the move, Ramona Nee, Weil’s incoming Executive Partner, said: ‘Technology has always changed the way lawyers practice, and AI will be no different. What matters is how we use it. We want our lawyers to have the judgment, creativity and technical fluency to take advantage of new capabilities. This program is another way for Weil to invest early in exceptional people and help them become exceptional lawyers.’

And Andrew Simon, Weil’s Chief AI & Innovation Officer, added: ‘One of the things we’ve learned is that the best ideas don’t necessarily start with the technology. They often start with asking why a piece of legal work is done a certain way and whether there is a better way to do it.

‘We want these students to be part of the team, doing meaningful work and bringing a fresh perspective. The goal isn’t to turn them into software engineers, but to help them become lawyers who understand AI well enough to ask better questions, recognize opportunities and work effectively with people who bring different expertise to a problem.’

Congrats to Weil. As AL wrote just this week, one of the very positive aspects of major law firms is their ability to provide excellent training for junior lawyers.

More about this program and other Weil career information here.

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— Legal Innovators New York Conference – Nov 17 + 18 —