ACC takeaways, Kirkland goes quiet, and new AI rules for hiring

This week's digest with the latest Legal.io trends, insights, and updates to help you navigate your legal career.

Happy Friday!

Back from Boston, and energized.

Our ACC Annual Meeting in one line: four days on the conference floor, one hockey game (Go Bruins!), drinks in a former jail, and dinosaurs. Thank you to every client, partner and new face who made time for us along the way.

Couldn’t make it? Nearly a quarter of the 89 sessions were on AI, per Bloomberg Law. The advice from in-house leaders on stage:

Find the problem first, then the tool, from Uber’s Aaron Brand and Moderna’s Shannon Thyme Klinger
Inventory every AI use and assign it a risk level, Brand’s next step after setting principles
Track what AI agents do with your credentials, even on routine tasks, per ServiceNow CLO Hossein Nowbar
Brief the board early. Elastic’s legal team was the first at the company to do it.

Or as Elastic’s Carolyn Herzog put it: “If you weren’t going to do it without AI, you shouldn’t do it with AI.”

See you in Minneapolis next year.

— Pieter Gunst

CEO & Co-Founder, Legal.io

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📰 Industry Snapshot

Kirkland & Ellis will stop sharing its financials with the media

The first firm to pass $10 billion in revenue says public reporting of its revenue and profits “does not provide meaningful value to our clients.” That takes the largest firm out of The American Lawyer’s rankings data.

Arizona’s court system hit by cyberattack

Hackers took personal data on about 1.3 million people from a backup server, including nearly 30,000 orders of protection. The attack is believed to have started with one employee clicking a link in an email.

New state laws tighten AI rules for hiring and HR

California, Colorado, Connecticut and Delaware have all added obligations for AI used in employment decisions, most taking effect in 2027. Under California’s new SB 947, discipline or termination can’t rest on an automated system’s output alone.

DOJ fraud division’s rise shrinks its premier white collar unit

The market integrity unit has gone from more than 40 attorneys to about 10 since early 2025, after its chief and two deputies left for the new National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Criminal Division is now offering retention bonuses of up to 20% of salary.

Legal operations leaders share realities of incorporating the latest tech into their lawyers’ repertoire

Shell’s legal function is targeting a 40% spending cut within three years, with AI and less outside counsel both part of the plan. At insurer IAG, software that flags high law firm bills has returned more than 800% in just over a year, its legal ops lead says.

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