How DLA Piper Deployed Harvey AI to 5,000 Lawyers and Cut Due Diligence Time by 80%

As one of the world's largest law firms with over 4,800 lawyers across 40+ countries, DLA Piper faced mounting pressure to manage complex documents, ensure consistency across global teams, and reduce time spent on low-value tasks. Associates were spending excessive hours on routine due diligence, document review, and administrative work—limiting capacity for high-value client strategy and creating bottlenecks in fast-moving commercial matters. The firm needed a scalable, secure AI strategy that could be deployed across diverse practice groups and jurisdictions without compromising client confidentiality.

DLA Piper launched a phased, quality-first AI transformation strategy beginning with a 'coalition of the willing' approach to Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption, followed by a strategic partnership with Harvey AI for legal-specific workflows. The firm established a 'centre of excellence' support model with cross-functional teams from business services and fee-earning communities to ensure consistent, holistic AI application. By December 2025, Harvey was deployed to 3,000 lawyers globally, expanding to 5,000 licenses firmwide by March 2026—one of the largest Harvey deployments at any law firm worldwide. The firm also developed Aiden, a custom AI model trained on its proprietary knowledge base and anonymized prior work product, to produce drafts consistent with DLA Piper's specific drafting standards.

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