One Year Later: How Troutman Pepper’s Generative AI Assistant Athena Has Transformed Legal Services Delivery

NEW YORK – In the year since the firmwide launch of Athena, Troutman Pepper’s generative AI assistant, the firm has experienced overwhelming success and adoption by over 1,000 users, representing more than 40% of attorneys and professional staff. More than 60% of Athena users have used it at least five times.

“We are proud to have been among the first large law firms to create and adopt a generative AI assistant and are excited to celebrate its first anniversary this month. Athena has increased efficiencies, enhanced client service, and is changing the practice of law,” said Troutman Pepper Chief Innovation Officer Will Gaus.

Among its many use cases, Athena has helped users summarize documents, analyze legal work, draft content, brainstorm ideas, visualize timelines, and create images. The tool has streamlined processes, effectively reducing the time attorneys spend on routine tasks so they can focus more on strategic legal work.

“We don’t want to waste any time doing busy work for things that could be done better by the technology, and that has been our philosophy, even before generative AI,” said Partner Alison Grounds, founder and managing partner of Troutman Pepper eMerge, the firm’s eDiscovery and legal technology subsidiary. “We have used Athena as a complement to other technologies the firm has invested in to create internal efficiencies that translate to real client value.”

“In addition to accelerated turnaround times, clients are telling us they appreciate the enhanced service quality, and the firm’s commitment to leveraging technology for continuous improvement,” said Dan Pulka, Troutman Pepper’s chief business development and marketing officer who also leads its client experience division.

Troutman Pepper’s marketing team was an early adopter of Athena, using it for press releases, social media posts, attorney bios, pitches and RFPs, award nominations, and graphic design, among other tasks.

“Another notable, perhaps less obvious, benefit of Athena is in our generative AI practice work,” Grounds said. “Say a client comes to us needing a global generative AI policy relating to data collection, use, and sharing. Not only do we have experience advising other clients in this need, but we personally have been in their position, and can help avoid pitfalls and create more opportunities as a result.”

Troutman Pepper attorneys are regularly advising on the full spectrum of legal issues presented by GenAI – including privacy and data security, information governance, intellectual property, compliance, labor and employment, contractual, and risk management concerns.

While Troutman Pepper was among the first large law firms to roll out a GenAI assistant, it did so meticulously by forming a Generative AI Task Force. This task force established essential guardrails, including a comprehensive training program and stringent ethics requirements. Task force members also help test new Athena features – the platform is continuously updated to meet user needs. For instance, since launch, Athena has seen significant enhancements and new features, including:

• AthenaIQ: A document database capability that allows administrators to upload documents for retrieval augmented generation (RAG), enhancing the accuracy and relevance of responses.

• MobileOne: Extending Athena’s general chat skill to the entire firm via a mobile app, making it accessible anytime, anywhere.

• Document Insights: Enabling users to load and interact with up to 20 documents for a more comprehensive analysis within a specific conversation.

• Create Timeline and Diagram: Agents that use information from uploaded documents to create visual timelines and corporate structure diagrams, respectively.

“Our approach has always been to build a broad platform that allows our attorneys and business professionals to solve many different types of problems,” said Director of Innovation Andrew Medeiros. “We continuously listen to our users and evolve Athena to meet their needs, ensuring it remains an invaluable tool in their daily workflows.”

In addition to Athena, Troutman Pepper has invested in numerous AI solutions, including many proprietary AI platforms developed by its Innovation division and eMerge, and has in-house talent well-versed in the technologies. The firm’s commitment to continuous innovation has been recognized nationally. Most recently, the Financial Times recognized it among the top 25 most innovative law firms and The Legal Intelligencer named it among the 2024 Law Firm Innovators.

To learn more about Athena and Troutman Pepper’s expertise in GenAI, visit www.troutman.com/athena.

About Troutman Pepper
Troutman Pepper is a national law firm with more than 1,100 attorneys strategically located in 20+ U.S. cities. The firm’s litigation, transactional, and regulatory practices advise a diverse client base, from startups to multinational enterprises. The firm provides sophisticated legal solutions to clients’ most pressing business challenges, with depth across industry sectors, including energy, financial services, health sciences, insurance, and private equity, among others. Learn more at troutman.com.