Introduction

Willkie Farr & Gallagher is an international law firm with offices across the US, UK and Europe. In July 2026, it announced a partnership with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, to help build its own AI tools. Thus, every lawyer at the firm gets access to ChatGPT Enterprise, and the firm’s tech team gets OpenAI's coding tool named Codex, to help them build software more efficiently. Willkie's tech chief, John Elbasan, said the collaboration is an important milestone that transforms AI into platforms that support legal and business workflows. For anyone thinking about a career in law, this is a total game changer. Firms aren't just buying AI tools off the shelf anymore, they're racing to build their own, which becomes a service that can be offered to their clients. 

Why Build Your Own Instead of Buying One

Think of it like the difference between buying a suit off the rack and having one tailor-made. Willkie already has an in-house tech team called Willkie Works, which builds tools nicknamed Wendell that help lawyers search for information, track finances, and even train new lawyers. It works like a video game tutorial, tailored towards Willkie’s needs. 

With OpenAI's help, the team can build and test new tools faster, instead of relying on external software that wasn't designed around the way the firm works. A tool built specifically increases your firm’s goodwill (its positive reputation), raising its reputation in the industry, which can further boost your client base.

Willkie isn't the only law firm with a competitive advantage. A few other firms have understood the impact of automation in their daily processes: Freshfields has partnered with Anthropic, Shoosmiths built a contract-checking tool with Microsoft, and Kirkland & Ellis has set aside $500 million to build its own AI tools. It is like when a coffee shop on the street gets a flashy new espresso machine and within a year every other coffee shop in the city has one too, except here the stakes are client satisfaction, not coffee.

Impact on Law Firms

When a firm builds its own AI tools, several teams get pulled in to make sure it's done properly:

  • IP(Intellectual Property) Team: Works out who owns the Intellectual Property created with the assistance of AI, and determines potential risks, particularly since OpenAI is currently being sued by other companies over its AI training methods.

  • Commercial and Contracts Team: Writes and negotiates the contract between the firm and OpenAI, which includes who is responsible if something goes wrong.

  • Privacy and Data Protection Team: Manages and verifies the flow of client information once it passes through an AI system. Law firms handle a lot of confidential information; thus, this team plays a pivotal role.

Future Outlook

AI tools like ChatGPT sometimes make things up, a problem commonly referred to as AI hallucinations. Willkie will need to make sure its tools don't invent fake legal cases or facts, especially due to the involvement of confidential client information. Therefore, the conversation will soon shift from "Why is your firm using AI?" to "How carefully are you checking it?" For students and trainees, this means that learning to use AI well is becoming just as valuable as knowing the law itself.