HWLE Lawyers picks Legora for major firmwide AI rollout
Thu, 21st May 2026 (Today)
HWLE Lawyers has chosen Legora as its firmwide artificial intelligence platform, with the rollout set to cover more than 1,900 lawyers and staff across its national network.
Deployment is due to begin in July, making it one of the larger AI rollouts yet announced in Australia's legal sector. The firm reached the decision after a pilot programme that tested hundreds of use cases across the business under defined risk measurement guardrails.
The appointment gives Legora a prominent customer in a legal market where firms are under pressure to show they can use AI tools in day-to-day work while maintaining controls around risk, training and compliance. It also adds to Legora's expansion in Australia, where the platform is already used by firms including MinterEllison, Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, K&L Gates Australia, White & Case, Dentons Australia, Hamilton Locke, Baker McKenzie and Pinsent Masons.
HWLE is the largest law firm in Australia by partner numbers. It has 1,996 staff, including 277 partners, 1,244 other legal staff and 475 support staff across nine offices.
Pilot process
The selection followed a controlled pilot that reviewed a broad range of potential uses across legal and support functions. Legora's governance, legal engineering and training were among the main factors to emerge from the assessment.
HWLE also cited the platform's planned agentic tools as part of its decision. Those systems are designed to carry out more autonomous tasks than earlier generations of AI assistants, although the firm's immediate focus is a broader rollout supported by internal controls.
Governance focus
As part of the rollout, HWLE is establishing an AI governance committee and ongoing compliance training. Practitioners will also receive dedicated time and resources to support adoption and encourage collaboration across its national practice.
"As we enter a new phase for our firm backed by a period of strong growth, we are continuing to invest in our people, client experience and technology," said Kris Hopkins, Chief Executive Officer, HWLE Lawyers.
"This partnership is an exciting step forward in building on that growth to realise the full potential of the firm," said Hopkins.
The investment comes as large law firms increasingly test whether AI can be used across research, document review and drafting without undermining professional standards. For firms with broad national operations, deployment at scale often depends as much on governance and staff training as on the underlying software.
Simon Hill, who leads digital intelligence at HWLE, said the wider rollout is intended to support legal work across the business.
"Rolling out Legora firmwide will give our lawyers better ways to deliver value for clients, while its agentic capabilities will assist in future-proofing the firm for the next generation of legal practice," said Simon Hill, Head of Digital Intelligence, HWLE Lawyers.
Regional momentum
For Legora, the agreement strengthens its standing in a competitive legal technology market where suppliers are vying for relationships with major firms and in-house teams. The company describes its product as a collaborative AI platform for legal work, used for research, review and drafting on complex matters.
Legora says the software is used by tens of thousands of legal professionals at more than 1,000 law firms and in-house legal teams across more than 50 markets. Among the organisations it lists as customers are Bird & Bird, Cleary Gottlieb, White & Case, Linklaters, Deloitte, Dentons and Goodwin.
Heather Paterson, who oversees the Asia-Pacific and Japan region for Legora, said the Australian market was continuing to develop.
"HWLE's selection of Legora is a significant moment for us in the region," said Heather Paterson, Vice President APJ, Legora.
"Partnering with the largest law firm in Australia by partner numbers reflects the momentum we are seeing across the market, and we are proud to support HWLE Lawyers as it enters its next phase. We look forward to working alongside the firm's lawyers to embed Legora into legal workflows and help deliver value for their clients," said Paterson.