Director, Applied AI

Herbert Smith Freehills•New York, NY

21d

About The Position

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is building a next-generation AI and innovation function at the center of how the firm delivers legal services globally. We are seeking a Director-level AI Solutions Architect to help design, build, and scale proprietary AI-enabled solutions across practices, regions, and client-facing use cases. This is a senior AI leadership role for an individual who combines deep expertise in modern AI and software architecture with the ability to translate real-world legal and business problems into high-impact, fit-for-purpose technology solutions. The ideal candidate is both a builder and a strategist: someone who understands how to architect systems, develop leading-edge solutions, and partner closely with lawyers, innovation leaders, and internal and external technology partners to deliver measurable transformation.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in software architecture, AI engineering, or applied technology leadership roles.
Strong experience building and deploying production-grade systems, including proprietary codebases and internal platforms.
Deep understanding of modern AI technologies, including: • Large Language Models (LLMs) • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) • Model orchestration and agent frameworks • AI evaluation and monitoring
Expertise in cloud and modern engineering environments (Azure, AWS, GCP).
Ability to engage confidently with senior stakeholders, including partners and firm leadership.

Nice To Haves

Experience in legal, professional services, regulated industries, or complex enterprise environments.
Familiarity with knowledge management, document workflows, and legal tech ecosystems.
Experience leading small technical teams or mentoring engineers.

Responsibilities

AI Solution Design & Architecture Architect and deliver scalable AI-enabled solutions aligned to firm priorities across litigation, transactional, regulatory, and advisory practices.
Design solutions leveraging modern AI stacks (LLMs, retrieval systems, agentic workflows, orchestration layers).
Build proprietary, secure, and reusable solution frameworks that can be adapted across jurisdictions and client contexts.
Use Case Development & Practice Enablement Translate lawyer and client needs into clear technical requirements and solution architectures.
Develop AI applications tailored to specific legal workflows (e.g., due diligence acceleration, drafting support, matter intelligence, knowledge automation).
Drive adoption by designing solutions that integrate seamlessly into legal delivery.
Technology Ecosystem & Vendor Collaboration Evaluate emerging AI technologies and vendors for strategic relevance.
Collaborate with external partners while maintaining architectural ownership and firm-specific differentiation.
Ensure solutions align with firm standards around security, governance, and client confidentiality.
AI Governance, Risk & Responsible Deployment Embed best practices around responsible AI, including transparency, auditability, privacy, and regulatory compliance.
Work closely with AI Team, risk, IT, and knowledge teams to ensure systems are secure and enterprise-grade.
Support governance frameworks for model usage, deployment, and lifecycle management.