Global law firm K&L Gates has appointed Jake Bernstein to the newly created role of Global AI and Innovation Partner, effective immediately, formalizing the firm’s approach to artificial intelligence strategy under a practicing partner’s leadership as the industry moves toward rapid deployment of agentic AI.
In this role, Bernstein will oversee the firm’s global AI strategy, governance, and innovation operations, including platform selection, workflow development, and data and knowledge management. He will work closely with the firm’s technology and security teams, centralizing responsibility for AI strategy and execution within a single partner-led structure.
Bernstein will also serve as co-chair of the firm’s AI Solutions Group alongside Shiau Yen Chin-Dennis and Guillermo Christensen. The group is responsible for aligning AI initiatives across the firm’s practices, regions, and client demands, while guiding governance, policy, and implementation efforts.
The appointment comes as the firm continues to expand its AI capabilities and infrastructure. K&L Gates recently achieved ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification, positioning it among the first law firms globally to meet the international standard for AI management systems. The firm has also deployed its primary AI platform, Legora, across all offices and practices, supported by a broader technology stack that includes Vincent, Westlaw Advance, Relativity Analytics, CoCounsel, and Microsoft 365 Copilot.
The firm’s AI Forward℠ framework reinforces internal expectations that lawyers integrate AI tools into their daily workflows within established governance structures, signaling a shift toward widespread adoption of AI-assisted legal work.
Bernstein’s practice spans technology transactions, data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity, including SaaS agreements, AI and machine learning frameworks, and IT outsourcing. He also serves on the firm’s General Counsel team, advising on AI and technology matters, and holds CISSP and CIPP/US certifications.
KEY QUOTES:
“Jake’s appointment reflects a deliberate choice about how this firm leads in AI: with a practicing partner, accountable for outcomes, working in close partnership with our technology and security functions. Agentic AI is moving from concept to deployment in months, not years. The market demands a partner driving this work who is in the practice every day, who understands what clients need, and who can move at the pace this moment requires.”
Stacy Ackermann, Global Managing Partner, K&L Gates
“The AI Forward℠ posture is straightforward: lawyers should be using these tools every day, on their own work, within governance the firm has built and certified. What’s coming next, agents that can plan and execute multi-step workflows on a matter, makes supervision the central partner-level question of the next 18 months. The firms that build that fluency now will lead what follows. The firms that wait will not.”
Jake Bernstein, Global AI And Innovation Partner, K&L Gates
