K&L Gates rolls out Legora across Australian offices

K&L Gates has rolled out the AI platform Legora across its Australian practice as part of the firm's global implementation of the system.

The deployment spans the firm's Australian offices and is supported by in-person training for lawyers, beginning in Sydney and Melbourne. The programme is designed to help legal staff use the software in their daily work following a pilot phase that drew strong partner engagement.

The Australian rollout follows the firm's ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification for AI governance, making it one of the first law firms globally to achieve the standard. The certification covers the management and oversight of artificial intelligence systems, an area facing growing scrutiny as professional services firms test and adopt generative AI tools.

Law firms are under pressure to show that any use of AI aligns with professional and ethical obligations, particularly in drafting, research, and document review. K&L Gates is linking the Legora launch in Australia to its governance framework, arguing that the combination should reassure clients the technology is being used responsibly.

In Australia, the firm's lawyers will have access to several parts of the Legora platform, including Tabular Review for structured document analysis, the Editor for review workflows, and a Word Add-In that enables drafting within Microsoft Word.

K&L Gates also plans to explore Legora Portal as a tool for secure client collaboration and cross-border service delivery across Asia-Pacific, although it is not yet part of the Australian rollout.

Training focus

Training has been central to the Australian launch, with sessions held across the firm's offices to give lawyers practical instruction on integrating AI tools into legal workflows.

That emphasis reflects a broader challenge for law firms adopting AI: success depends not only on choosing the right software, but also on ensuring lawyers understand how and when to use it. In a profession shaped by confidentiality, accuracy, and professional judgement, firms have moved cautiously, pairing experimentation with more formal governance and staff education.

Jason Opperman, Regional Managing Partner, Australia, said the firm was focused on balancing adoption with oversight.

"AI is reshaping how legal services are delivered, and our focus is on responding to that change thoughtfully and proactively," said Opperman.

He added: "The rollout of Legora in Australia, together with our ISO/IEC 42001:2023 AI governance certification and firmwide training programmes, reflect how seriously we take both innovation and professional responsibility. By embedding AI into our day-to-day work and building the right skills and frameworks around it, we're positioning the firm - and our clients - to succeed in an increasingly AI-enabled legal landscape."

Broader adoption

Legora describes itself as a collaborative AI platform for legal work, supporting lawyers in research, review, and drafting. The company says the platform is used by tens of thousands of legal professionals at more than 800 law firms and in-house legal teams across more than 50 markets.

Its growing presence in legal practice reflects a wider shift in the sector, with firms testing specialist AI products rather than relying solely on general-purpose models. These tools appeal because they are designed for common legal tasks such as reviewing large volumes of documents, comparing contract terms, and producing first drafts within software lawyers already use.

For K&L Gates, the Australian rollout appears to be part of a broader standardisation effort across the firm. A global implementation can give large firms a common approach to technology use, governance, and training across jurisdictions, though local rollouts still tend to depend on practice needs and lawyer uptake.

Heather Paterson, VP of Legora APJ, highlighted the role of the Australian team in the deployment.

"The K&L Gates Australian team were true champions in the firm's AI rollout," said Paterson. "We're excited to work with the firm across Australia to help deploy not only Legora in its day-to-day operations, but support with the rollout of Legora Portal for its clients."

Stacy Ackermann, Global Managing Partner, K&L Gates, described the investment as part of the firm's long-standing approach to legal technology.

"At K&L Gates, technology has long been part of our DNA," said Ackermann. "We were early to see how AI would shape the practice of law, and we are investing in it thoughtfully because it strengthens how we serve our clients. Legora expands the range of options available to our lawyers and enables us to deliver the high standards, insight, and efficiency our clients expect and deserve."