The Senior AI Lawyer - M&A is a former M&A practitioner with 8 to 10+ years of substantive practice experience who has transitioned into building AI workflows for the M&A practice. This position reports to the M&A Practice and AI leadership.
This is a hands-on role focused on designing, building, and shipping AI-powered solutions tailored to M&A transactions. The Senior AI Lawyer is fluent in legal tech tools such as Harvey, Legora, Claude Cowork, and Claude Code, and uses them daily to develop, test, and deploy production-ready AI workflows.
The Senior AI Lawyer collaborates cross-functionally with Engineering, Data Science, KM Lawyers, Practice Solutions, and the M&A practice group to build AI workflows & ensure AI solutions meet the rigorous standards of M&A practice. This person serves as both a builder and a strategic resource-translating deep M&A legal reasoning into executable AI logic and ensuring M&A lawyers are equipped to leverage AI confidently and effectively.
Essential Job Duties & Responsibilities- Lead the hands-on design, development, and deployment of AI workflows for the M&A practice
- Fine tune models on M&A knowledge helping build reusable workflow for the Practice
- Use tools such as Harvey, Legora, DeepJudge, Claude Cowork, Claude Code daily to build, test, refine, and ship production-quality AI solutions; maintain deep fluency in these tools and stay current with new capabilities
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Engineering, Data Science, KM Lawyers and Practice Solutions to translate M&A legal reasoning and practice-specific logic into executable, reliable AI workflows
- Partner with the M&A Practice Leadership to develop and execute strategies that drive sustained adoption of AI within the M&A practice
- Proactively identify high-impact M&A use cases for AI-from initial deal screening and due diligence to signing and closing-and work with AI leadership to prioritize workflow development based on practice needs and business value
- Test, evaluate, and iterate on AI workflows with a seasoned practitioner's eye: review AI outputs against legal first principles, refine prompts and workflow logic, and ensure accuracy, consistency, and defensibility
- Build and maintain datasets, test sets, and evaluation frameworks for use in proofs of concept, pilots, and ongoing solution development; conduct structured testing to validate workflow quality
- Oversee the governance and lifecycle management of AI assets in M&A -including prompts, prompt libraries, workflows, vaults, and document collections-by establishing quality standards, conducting periodic reviews, and coordinating updates or retirement of outdated materials
- Design, prepare, and deliver AI training, workshops, and best-practice resources for M&A lawyers; mentor attorneys on effective use of AI tools and workflows to build practice-wide capability
- Support adherence to the Firm's AI policies and applicable professional responsibility standards by advising M&A lawyers on ethical and risk considerations in AI use, including confidentiality, privilege, data privacy, and output reliability
- Share successful M&A use cases, prompt templates, and best practices across other practice groups to promote Firm-wide consistency, reduce duplication of effort, and accelerate AI adoption
- Evaluate, test, and provide structured feedback on new AI technologies being considered by the Firm, including participating in demonstrations, proofs of concept, and pilots; assess vendor tools against M&A-specific criteria and communicate findings to relevant stakeholders
- Monitor developments in AI, legal technology, and M&A practice and continuously identify opportunities to leverage AI for process improvement, deal efficiency, and enhanced client service
Education Requirements Skills & Experience Requirements - 8-10 years of practice experience as a lawyer in mergers and acquisitions, with deep knowledge of M&A transactions, due diligence processes, and related legal documents (purchase agreements, merger agreements, disclosure schedules, ancillary deal documents)
- Meaningful legal technology and/or AI experience, including meaningful exposure to AI tools such as Harvey, Legora, Claude Cowork, Claude Code, or similar platforms
- Demonstrated experience of building and shipping AI workflows-not just using or advising on AI tools, but designing, developing, testing, and deploying solutions end-to-end
- Deep understanding of how M&A legal reasoning, due diligence analysis, and transaction document review translate into structured, executable AI logic
- Outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to effectively engage technical and non-technical audiences alike
- Experience working cross-functionally with Engineering, Data Science, KM Lawyers, and practice groups; comfort navigating matrixed organizations
- Strong project management, organizational, and analytical skills with exceptional attention to detail
- Self-starter and highly motivated; comfort championing AI adoption and leading change within a practice group
- Confidence in teaching, coaching, and mentoring lawyers on AI tools and workflows
- Strong customer service orientation and prompt response time to incoming requests
Salary InformationNY Only: The estimated base salary range for this position is $300,000 to $350,000 at the time of posting.
The actual salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job. This role is exempt meaning it is not overtime pay eligible.
Simpson Thacher will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.#LI-Hybrid
