Freshfields, Anthropic Ink Deal to Deploy & Build AI Legal Tools Firmwide
Freshfields is partnering with Anthropic to deploy Claude AI firmwide and co-develop new legal AI workflows.
Why it matters: BigLaw is rapidly moving from AI pilots to large-scale adoption. Freshfields' global rollout with Anthropic sets a new standard for AI integration, raising the bar for efficiency and innovation across legal services.
- Freshfields is providing 5,700 employees access to Claude AI via its proprietary platform.
- Firmwide Claude deployment spans 33 global offices and all practice groups.
- AI adoption and usage jumped ~500% in just six weeks after launch.
- Freshfields and Anthropic will co-create new AI workflows—including for Anthropic's own legal needs.
Freshfields has signed a multi-year collaboration with Anthropic to roll out Claude AI across its entire organization and jointly build new legal AI workflows.
- The deal has already equipped 5,700 employees with Claude through Freshfields' in-house AI platform, driving a ~500% increase in adoption within the first six weeks.
- Claude’s deployment reaches all of Freshfields’ 33 offices and services every practice group and business unit globally.
- Over the next 12 months, Freshfields and Anthropic will co-develop AI-native workflows for delivering legal services—including for Anthropic’s internal legal needs.
- Plans include expanding to Anthropic’s agentic AI platform, Cowork, with a focus on security, compliance, and training.
- Freshfields is also early-testing Thomson Reuters’ upcoming CoCounsel Legal, rebuilt on Anthropic’s latest technologies.
Gil Perez, Chief Innovation Officer at Freshfields, noted that the Anthropic partnership strengthens the firm's ability to "co-innovate at pace and to bring new capabilities into our work in a way that is secure, compliant and focused on client needs."
Kate Jensen, Anthropic’s Head of Americas, said, "Freshfields operates at the highest levels of global law. Their decision to go wall-to-wall with Claude is the clearest signal yet that the enterprise AI moment in professional services has arrived."
This collaboration also stirred the legal tech market, with RELX shares dropping 1% in response, underlining intensifying competition in legal AI.
By the numbers:
- 5,700 — employees given access to Claude AI
- ~500% — increase in AI adoption in first 6 weeks
- 33 — global offices included in the rollout
- 1% — decline in RELX shares after announcement
Yes, but: Details on the specific AI workflows to be developed and full deployment timelines remain undisclosed.
What's next: Freshfields and Anthropic will collaborate over the next year to build new AI-native legal processes, including for Anthropic's own use.