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David Wakeling

Partner

Email

david.wakeling@aoshearman.com

Phone

+44 20 3088 3251

Offices

London

V-CARD
David is Global Head of the firm’s AI Advisory Practice and Markets Innovation Group (MIG), the latter of which is a group of lawyers, developers, and technologists, who are focused on the creation of innovative solutions that enable clients to meet large-scale legal and regulatory challenges.

David advises some of the largest companies globally on the safe deployment of AI in their businesses and is regarded as one of the leading AI lawyers in the world.

He also leads on the development and implementation of A&O Shearman’s AI strategy, and chairs the firm’s AI Steering Committee, playing a pivotal role in the firm's deployment of generative AI, which began in December 2022, with the rollout of Harvey, the LLM that has been fine-tuned for law. This made the firm the first globally to deploy generative AI at enterprise level.

Under David’s leadership, ContractMatrix, which is an AI tool that streamlines contract drafting, analysis and negotiation, was developed by the firm, in partnership with Microsoft and Harvey. This was the first ever collaboration between a law firm and Microsoft to develop an AI tool. ContractMatrix is used extensively within A&O Shearman, as well as by clients.

These innovations received widescale press coverage, including in the Financial Times and other leading international publications.

At the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards (Europe) 2024, A&O Shearman won the award for the “Most innovative law firm in Europe”, which the FT noted was largely down to the firm’s pioneering approach to generative AI development and deployment, as well as the award for “Innovative in generative AI tools” for ContractMatrix. David was also shortlisted for the “Intrapreneur” category.

David has previously served as Co-chair of the firm’s Race and Ethnicity Committee.

Experience

Representative matters

  • Established and leads A&O Shearman’s AI working group, through which a syndicate of 80+ global clients (including numerous G-SIFIs) receive advice on substantive legal questions and issues affecting businesses deploying generative AI.
  • A G20 sovereign on its national AI strategy, including on its strategic objectives, as well as assessing the global and domestic regulatory landscape across the AI value chain.
  • A UK-based G-SIFI on their generative AI strategy, with advice spanning the design and build of an AI risk assessment tool for triaging AI use cases, AI use policies, AI vendor risk assessment tools, and a range of generative AI license agreements.
  • A global pharma company in designing and drafting AI policies, including policies on AI use, development, and licensing, as well as advising on how these policies fit within a broader AI governance framework.
  • A global pharma company in updating its global information security policy to reflect the use of AI systems by internal personnel and third-party vendors, as well as to incorporate the latest cybersecurity standards.
  • Designed and built a global risk assessment system for a global pharma company, covering key areas of focus for risk control functions when assessing proposed AI use cases.
  • Created various technological solutions, including ContractMatrix, IBORMatrix, BrexitMatrix, and MarginMatrix, each of which represented an innovation in the legal tech space. For example, MarginMatrix is an online regulatory compliance tool, and involved a joint venture with Deloitte to help several global banks with the negotiation of thousands of contracts. MarginMatrix was ranked "Standout" at the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards 2016.
  • Created and chaired industry initiatives and working groups relating to various large-scale challenges, most recently regarding AI, as well as regarding the transition away from LIBOR and other interest rates. David has advised financial institutions at an industry and individual level on issues relating to LIBOR, including as an advisor on the UK FCA Tough Legacy Taskforce. David also helped design the governance around a new interest rate, working with the central bank and the industry participants of a major Middle Eastern country.
  • Leading financial institutions, both individually and as an industry, on their Eurozone crisis contingency planning and on banking crises in Greece, Portugal and Cyprus.

Pro bono

  • David is a Co-founder and Trustee of Alice’s Arc, a children’s cancer charity. He has advised on its incorporation, governance and on certain areas of EU law relating to drug trials.

Published Work

  • “Generative AI and Legal Risk” as a chapter of “Cyber Security: Law and Guidance (2nd Edition)”, London: Bloomsbury (due to be published at the end of 2024) 

Speaking Engagements

Media interviews

  • Financial Times, AI moves along ‘hype cycle’ to make its mark on legal profession, September 2024
  • Financial Times, Intrapreneurs: forcing the pace of change, September 2024
  • Forbes, Early adopters of gen AI in law, June 2024
  • The Guardian, Setting a precedent: how A&O Shearman is embracing AI to transform the legal sector, May 2024
  • The Financial Times, Allen & Overy rolls out contract drafting tool in challenge to legal industry, December 2023
  • The Wall Street Journal, How can companies use generative AI? Here’s an Early Adopter, May 2023
  • Politico, How lawyers use AI, May 2023
  • The Economist, Don't fear an AI-induced jobs apocalypse just yet, March 2023
  • Wired magazine, Generative AI is coming for the lawyers, February 2023
  • The Financial Times, Allen & Overy introduces AI chatbot to lawyers in search of efficiencies, February 2023
Podcasts appearances
  • Closing the Loop, The law firm that's built a large and successful business, October 2023
Events appearances
  • Partnership on AI’s AI Policy Forum, September 2024
  • Corporate Governance Council in Europe, October 2023
  • New Scientist Live, September 2023
  • GC100 Summer Reception, July 2023
  • World50, May 2023
  • The Times Tech Summit, March 2023




Leadership Positions And Professional Affiliations

  • Member of the Policy Steering Committee for, and legal adviser to, the Partnership on AI, which is a non-profit coalition dedicated to ensuring that AI adoption benefits humanity. The non-profit facilitates international, multistakeholder collaboration to support the development of standards and best practices that advance responsible AI use, which inform AI regulatory frameworks globally

Recognition

“David…won admiration [when being assessed for the “Intrapreneur” category as part of the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards (Europe) 2024] for consistently acting as a first mover in embracing the potential of new technology, most recently with generative AI. Being such an early adopter “takes courage” noted one judge”
“David was shortlisted as one of the “Most innovative lawyers in Europe” by the Financial Times”

Qualifications

Admissions

Admitted as solicitor, England and Wales, 2003

Academic

AI Programme, University of Oxford, 2023

BA (Hons), Law, University of Southampton, 1999

Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.