Ropes & Gray is working with OpenAI to develop a proprietary AI-powered due diligence tool designed to produce detailed, issue-level deal reports in hours rather than the days or weeks traditionally required for comprehensive transaction reviews.
The collaboration focuses on custom agentic AI workflows for transactional due diligence, one of the most labor-intensive areas of deal execution.
Ropes & Gray is designing the system to mirror the steps its lawyers follow when reviewing documents in a transaction data room.
The technology is intended to identify risks, flag exceptions and surface important issues earlier in the diligence process while creating a repeatable workflow based on the firm’s own review methodology.
Rather than positioning AI as a replacement for legal judgment, Ropes & Gray is using the technology to compress the time attorneys spend assembling findings.
The firm expects that could give lawyers more time to analyze risks, pressure-test transaction structures and provide strategic advice during the most time-sensitive stages of a deal.
Speed can be particularly important in competitive acquisition processes, where potential buyers frequently work under tight deadlines before submitting bids or committing capital.
Traditional diligence can require large teams of attorneys to review extensive sets of contracts and other documents over several days.
An agentic system capable of performing portions of that initial review could allow lawyers to focus earlier on the legal and commercial implications of the information uncovered.
Ropes & Gray said the resulting product is being developed with the same controls around consistency, privacy, security and attorney oversight that clients expect from the firm’s conventional legal work.
The project is part of a broader AI strategy at Ropes & Gray rather than a standalone technology initiative.
The firm has adopted a multi-tool architecture intended to incorporate different AI products rather than relying on a single provider.
Ropes & Gray is pairing those tools with a workforce of attorneys trained to use AI in legal practice.
The OpenAI collaboration represents a significant component of that strategy and extends the use of generative AI deeper into transactional workflows.
Due diligence is particularly suited to agentic technology because the process involves large volumes of documents and a series of recurring tasks.
Lawyers typically need to identify contractual obligations, change-of-control provisions, liabilities, exceptions, regulatory issues and other information that could affect deal value or execution.
Ropes & Gray’s system is intended to automate portions of that process while maintaining the firm’s review framework.
The technology could ultimately affect both the speed and sequencing of transaction work.
Instead of waiting for a full diligence process to conclude before receiving a consolidated view of key issues, transaction teams could potentially receive findings earlier and respond while other parts of the deal remain in motion.
That could give clients more time to adjust pricing, modify transaction structures, negotiate protections or investigate specific risks before deadlines.
Ropes & Gray said attorney oversight will remain embedded throughout the process.
The firm is also applying enterprise-grade security controls to its AI deployments, an important consideration when transaction teams are working with confidential corporate documents and material nonpublic information.
The diligence project reflects the wider movement by major law firms to integrate AI into substantive legal workflows rather than limiting the technology to general research, drafting or administrative tasks.
For Ropes & Gray, the objective is to use AI to move its lawyers more quickly from document review toward the higher-value analysis and judgment that influence transaction outcomes.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our clients rely on us for judgment on the deals, disputes, and regulatory challenges that define their industries.”
“With OpenAI, we are bringing frontier AI to the most time-intensive legal work, starting with transactional due diligence.”
“Our goal is to put our lawyers’ insight and experience to work earlier in the process, at greater speed and depth, so our clients get faster execution, sharper analysis, and the industry-leading counsel they expect from Ropes & Gray.”
Julie Jones, Chair of Ropes & Gray
