The firm’s Artificial Intelligence Management System snagged it the ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification
Global firm K&L Gates has been awarded the ISO/IEC 42001:2023 artificial intelligence governance certification – among the first law firms in the world to secure the certification.
The firm received the certification for its Artificial Intelligence Management System, confirming that the system had strong accountability, risk management, ethics, transparency, data protection, and regulatory compliance controls. According to global managing partner Stacy Ackermann, the certification reflected the firm’s commitment to incorporating accountability into innovation.
“Clients are embracing AI to transform their businesses, and they expect their law firms to responsibly do the same. Achieving ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification demonstrates that we have built a governance framework that prioritizes risk management, transparency, and trust while enabling us to deliver valuable insight and legal services to our clients,” Ackermann said in a statement.
K&L Gates’ chief technology officer, Harpreet Suri, highlighted the role of the firm’s technology, security and information governance teams.
“As organizations across industries implement or evaluate AI technologies, they increasingly expect the same discipline and transparency from their legal advisers,” Suri said in a statement. “Achieving ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification is a direct result of the dedication and rigor of our technology, security and information governance teams, whose work ensures that AI is deployed responsibly, securely, and in alignment with our professional obligations. This certification enables K&L Gates to provide enhanced confidence in how AI is thoughtfully and responsibly integrated into our client service delivery.”
The firm set up a cross-disciplinary AI Solutions Group in 2023 to guide its AI strategy, assisting clients with development, deployment, and investment in AI technologies. Moreover, K&L Gates effected a comprehensive Generative AI Policy and AI Forward℠ framework that required approved platforms, transparency with clients, verification of AI outputs, and mandatory training.
The firm indicated that the deployment of AI across its global platform was supervised through centralized governance to align with confidentiality obligations, data-governance requirements, and professional standards. Role-specific training focusing on AI literacy, prompt engineering, and partner supervisory oversight was conducted by AltaClaro and Hotshot Legal.
The ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification sets a formal framework for the responsible development, deployment, and supervision of AI systems.
