Why Shoosmiths Built Its Own Legal AI with Microsoft
Law firm Shoosmiths has unveiled Project Apollo, its self-developed generative AI contract review tool, which is now being deployed across the firm following an extensive year-long build and pilot program supported by Microsoft. Uniquely designed to explain its reasoning and surface Shoosmiths’ know-how and guidance notes, the AI tool enhances transparency and allows junior lawyers to accelerate their learning with every contract.
What Makes The Project Apollo Platform Different:
Built in Collaboration With Microsoft: Project Apollo was developed by Shoosmiths with input and support from Microsoft, and runs in Microsoft’s secure Azure environment.
Upskilling by Design: Curated explanations and guidance create a real-time learning environment, enabling junior lawyers to understand the market context and rationale behind edits, and accelerating their development.
Playbook-Driven Intelligence: Contracts are marked up against a playbook and gold-standard drafting derived from Shoosmiths’ market-leading dealmakers, rather than opaque ‘black-box’ models.
Transparent and Auditable Reasoning: The tool is designed to mirror how a senior associate would justify changes to a partner: every step of the review is accompanied by a clear explanation of the reasoning, grounded in the underlying know-how. This provides full visibility into how recommendations are reached, and supports confident review and oversight.
David Jackson, Chief Executive at Shoosmiths, said: “With our platform, developing lawyers can learn more, faster. Our self-developed generative AI software enables the firm to deploy its collective dealmaking expertise at scale, allowing lawyers to not only see what amendments have been made, but most significantly, why.”
With the cumulative experience of Shoosmiths’ lawyers embedded directly into its architecture, including its market-leading M&A know-how, Shoosmiths’ AI platform allows lawyers to review contracts more quickly, apply market standards more consistently, and make market-informed recommendations at scale. By generating playbooks aligned with client expectations, the platform ensures each markup reflects each client’s preferred language, risk profile, and commercial position. A senior lawyer reviews and signs off on all output from the AI tool.
“We have advised on more M&A deals in the City than any other firm for four years running. This puts that experience in the hands of every lawyer in the firm, from day one,” added Jackson. “Our best-in-class tool will not only cut time in the contract review process for all our lawyers, but it will also enhance the quality and consistency of advice, accelerate deal delivery, and fast-track the development of the next generation of lawyers.”
Darren Hardman, CEO, Microsoft UK & Ireland, said: “Law firms hold enormous expertise, and the challenge is always how to share it. Project Apollo is a strong example of AI doing what it does best: taking the knowledge of Shoosmiths’ most experienced lawyers and making it available to everyone in the firm, at every stage of their career. The fact that it explains its reasoning at every step makes it a genuine learning tool, not just a productivity one. That’s what good AI adoption looks like, and we’re proud to have supported them in building it.”
Shoosmiths’ decision, taken over a year ago, to invest in building its own AI technology was an early example of a shift away from off-the-shelf solutions, a move some other firms have only recently announced, and it underpins Shoosmiths’ innovation-led growth strategy.
Shoosmiths’ AI contract review tool is one of a range of solutions developed by Shoosmiths, and strengthens its position at the forefront of legal technology adoption. Building on this commitment to innovation, the firm has recently launched its AI Fluency Framework, a strategic initiative designed to encourage and assess the effective application of AI in delivering meaningful business and client outcomes.