Paul Hastings Launches Artificial Intelligence Practice Group with a Broad Team of Legal Experts

March 25, 2019

London & Washington, D.C. – The rise of Artificial Intelligence and automated systems is already one of the defining developments of the 21st century. Facial recognition, autonomous vehicles, computer vision, augmented reality, and robotics aren’t coming; they’re already here.

AI is already driving tectonic shifts in sectors ranging from transportation to consumer technology to healthcare to financial services and insurance. General Counsels must be ready to support their companies’ product development, strategic acquisitions and partnerships, and data sharing arrangements in the context of uncertain legal frameworks. Lawyers must lean into this innovation to protect clients against risks that are profound and even unprecedented. In order to help navigate these new paths, Paul Hastings has launched its Artificial Intelligence practice group.

“Artificial Intelligence was previously thought of as the domain of specialist tech lawyers and only relevant to businesses in certain specific sectors, but it is now impacting all our clients in every industry and the legal issues AI poses require a multi-disciplinary approach,” said Sarah Pearce, London-based co-chair of the AI practice group at Paul Hastings. “Our clients are increasingly identifying AI as a ‘stay-awake issue’ as they advise on corporate initiatives.”

“The economic and societal benefits of AI will be profound, but so too are the risks and concerns about the impact of automated processes,” notes Robert Silvers, the practice group’s Washington, D.C.-based co-chair. “As companies deploy AI-driven services and products, they need to expect these risks and concerns will manifest in class actions lawsuits, regulatory enforcement, and visceral reputational consequences. We are launching this practice group to give our clients the confidence to succeed in their business and technology objectives by addressing these concerns head-on and mitigating their potential liability.”

The practice group brings together lawyers with experience in data privacy and cybersecurity; technology transactions; intellectual property and trade secrets; fintech and financial services; employment law; trade controls; class action and complex litigation; and AI governance, safety, and ethics.

The rise of artificial intelligence and automated systems will be one of the defining developments of the 21st century. Download the In-house Lawyer’s Guide to Artificial Intelligence for more on the legal impact of AI.

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