Developing Lawyers, Not Replacing Them:How Blank Rome Trains the Next Generation With :Harvey:

Key Highlights

• AmLaw 100 firm — 800 attorneys, 16 offices, 80 years in practice
• Doubling down on junior lawyer training
• Associates spar with AI in Trial Academy practicums, plus a 300-associate Harvey-sponsored hackathon
• 95% of AI training built and delivered in-house

About Blank Rome

Founded in 1946 as two lawyers in a single city, Blank Rome is now an AmLaw 100 firm — 800 attorneys and principals across 16 offices in the US and beyond. In its 80th year, it's known for high-stakes litigation and business law across a broad spectrum of industries, with generations of practitioners working side by side. Innovation isn't bolted on here; it's cultural. "We don't make widgets," says Gaston. "We sell intellectual horsepower."

Opportunity

Blank Rome's approach to AI starts with a clear north star: excellent legal practice. “We're intentional about AI — we approach it as an opportunity, not a threat," says Ashton Batchelor, Chief Innovation and Value Officer.

That conviction set a high bar: efficiency without sacrificing the rigor, quality, and judgment that define the firm's brand. Blank Rome continues to vet AI tools through its Innovation Lab in support of enhanced client service and business operations.

As part of its overall AI stack, the firm chose Harvey for its output quality, flexibility across practice areas, and governance. "Harvey has been a really important partner because its governance controls fit with our AI responsible use policy," Batchelor says. "Our attorneys can feel confident they're getting the best possible output."

Solution

Starting at the Top, Not the Bottom

While much of the industry contemplated using AI to thin its junior ranks, Blank Rome made the strategic decision to focus on partner and associate adoption in tandem. "We're an apprenticeship atmosphere,” said Gaston. “Our partners are the front lines to our clients. They need the intelligence to answer the questions clients are asking — and to advise the associates they're teaching."

The payoff came from an unexpected place: partners with 25 and 30 years of practice became some of Harvey's most enthusiastic power users. "They're hungry for it," Gaston says. "They've shown no fear."

Weaving AI Into the Craft of Lawyering

Blank Rome doesn't teach AI as a separate skill — it embeds it into the programs the firm is already known for. The firm’s renowned Trial Academy, led by former judges and trial lawyers, now expands its trial toolkit with a Harvey-powered workflow that enables teams to develop openings, refine cross-examinations, and spar against AI in a live practicum. "Doing that in a practicum setting really makes the technology relatable," says Batchelor. The model scaled last fall, when the firm built a Harvey-sponsored hackathon and client simulation into its all-associate retreat for more than 300 associates — who rated it a highlight of the weekend. Micro-learning handles the day-to-day: the firm's "AI in 5" and "AI in 10" sessions are "wildly popular," delivering strategies lawyers use with clients the next morning. Roughly 95% of training is delivered in-house — by former researchers, paralegals, lawyers, and a former law professor.

Giving Every Lawyer the Firm's Best Thinking

Harvey's Vault and Playbooks let Blank Rome package its institutional expertise into reusable assets that bend the learning curve for juniors: a brief bank Vault for litigators, a "needle in a haystack" analysis, an EEOC charge playbook, a transactions playbook, and a civil litigation toolkit. "Harvey lets us give our lawyers access to our best assets and bend the learning curve," says Batchelor.

Impact

"Where we can see what we're doing is working and taking root is in the hallways," Batchelor says. "Lawyers are sharing use cases. They're calling us saying, 'Wouldn't it be great if?' or 'I have an idea.'"

Blank Rome doesn't measure success in hours saved. "We're not using AI for the sake of using AI. It has to maximize value to our clients," says Batchelor. The firm pours that higher-quality time back into client relationships, co-created AI plans, and talent — and the strategy is already rewriting recruiting. Blank Rome has hired nearly 100 lateral partners since 2023, and AI fluency has become a baseline expectation when laterals are evaluating firms. "Laterals ask about our AI and practice-tool capabilities before they come over," Batchelor notes — innovation as a recruiting magnet, not just an operating line.

To make it permanent, the firm appointed a Vice Chair of AI and built a multi-year AI strategic plan. "We've been on this journey with Harvey for almost two years," says Batchelor. "Without trusted technology partners, we couldn't get where we're going. The practice of law is the star of the show, and AI won't change that — but Harvey is central to what we're doing now and a part of our overall AI strategy that will carry us into the future."