innovation

Pioneering solutions that are future ready

For us, innovation is more than just an initiative — it’s a mindset. We embrace change, anticipate risks, and create growth for both our clients and our firm. Because the future doesn’t wait. And neither do we.

APPROACH TO INNOVATION

Setting the pace for what comes next

Our future ready approach is a commitment to leading, not following. By gathering intelligence on industry trends, emerging technologies, and evolving client needs, we identify the innovations that will shape the future of law — ensuring we stay at the forefront of transformation.

Our approach is backed by real resources: a Generative AI Task Force and Innovation Committee focused on leading the firm and clients through change; our nationally recognized eMerge team, which combines custom technology with cutting-edge advocacy; and our market-leading Knowledge Management + Innovation Department, which has the skills and experience to build tomorrow’s solutions today.

Learn more about how we lead in these areas:

Built on three strategic pillars, our approach ensures we consistently drive progress and deliver lasting impact.

Envision

We shape the future of law by anticipating what’s next. Through continuous intelligence-gathering on global trends, new technologies, and client challenges, we transform insights into proactive strategies — ensuring your business isn’t just prepared for change — but positioned to lead it.

This forward-focused approach drives our agile service design, equipping clients with strategic clarity and future-proof solutions long before disruptions emerge.

Engage

Innovation thrives on collaboration. We spark dialogue on emerging technologies and opportunities, translating complex insights into actionable guidance. Through thought leadership, industry talks, and strategic partnerships, we ensure your organization doesn’t just navigate the evolving legal landscape — it leverages it to drive growth and differentiation.

This exchange of ideas fuels innovation that aligns with your goals, turning foresight into competitive advantage.

Empower

Innovation begins with expertise. We equip our teams with advanced AI-powered tools, tailored training, and collaborative frameworks, allowing them to redefine legal excellence. This investment in skills ensures your organization benefits — from streamlined processes, adaptive strategies, and solutions that accelerate outcomes.

It enables us to envision the future of law, engage clients with actionable insights, and empower our teams with new ways of working.

Meet Athena, our GenAI assistant

Troutman Pepper Locke was among the first law firms to build and deploy a GenAI assistant, Athena. Attorneys and professional staff across the firm’s offices use Athena to summarize documents, analyze legal work, draft content, brainstorm ideas, visualize timelines, create images, and much more.

Learn more

“Athena is an amazing personal productivity tool, and our lawyers and business professionals are discovering where generative AI can sit in their day to day and make themselves more efficient and valuable to the organization and to clients. We want to leverage that in overall operations of the firm and overall delivery of legal services from the firm.”

William Gaus

“Legal innovation means constantly seeking new and creative ways to solve existing and emerging problems within the legal industry. It involves challenging the status quo and being open to exploring novel approaches that can enhance efficiency, accuracy, and client satisfaction.”

Alison A. Grounds

“We’re proud to have an innovation group pushing us to embrace technology and meet clients where they are. These tools allow us to break down barriers and create bespoke solutions to better serve our clients.”

Thomas J. Cole, Jr.

“When we help clients with regulatory issues relating to the adoption of machine learning and artificial intelligence, one of the biggest things that we’ve done is guided them through the implementation of machine learning models for things like credit underwriting and fraud prediction in a way that maximizes not only their business benefit from those processes, but also their ability to meet regulatory expectations. We’re proud of that.”

Chris Willis

“I’m working on a project where we are combining public records legislation, public statements of regulators, and our internal analysis to create a unique work product. This allows the client’s policy, legal, and business teams to all look at the same feed, comment internally, and stay aligned. It’s a product we created from scratch based on the client’s needs.”

Ashley L. Taylor, Jr.

Innovative achievements

Our highest goal? Achieving yours.

contacts

William Gaus

Chief Knowledge Management and Innovation Officer

215.981.4915 william.gaus@troutman.com

Andrew Medeiros

Managing Director of Innovation

215.981.4666 andrew.medeiros@troutman.com

Paul D. Burnett

Knowledge Management & Innovation Program Director

312.759.1927 paul.burnett@troutman.com