Legal Solutions Architect

0400 FBD USA LLP; United States; On-site; USD 325,000 - 375,000; Full time

Job summary

Freshfields US LLP seeks an experienced AI and legal technology lead to partner with lawyers, translate workflows into designs, and create end-to-end AI-enabled solutions that improve service delivery and knowledge management.

You will build prototypes, collaborate with product managers and engineers, ensure security and governance, and guide adoption across practice groups while staying aligned with privacy and responsible AI standards.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience integrating LLM APIs across enterprise providers (Azure OpenAI, Vertex AI, Anthropic) with structured outputs and tool use.
• Proficiency in Python in a professional environment.
• Ability to develop and operate CI/CD pipelines and containerization (Docker) across cloud environments.

Responsibilities

• Partner with lawyers and business stakeholders to identify AI opportunities and translate requirements into designs.
• Author technical design docs and shepherd them through architecture, security, and governance reviews.
• Design end-to-end AI-enabled solutions to enhance legal service delivery and knowledge management.
• Build prototypes and PoCs to validate designs before committing engineering resources.
• Collaborate with Product Managers and Engineers to define requirements and guide delivery.
• Evaluate emerging AI and legal tech capabilities and propose practical applications.

Skills

LLM API integration

Python

DevOps

Azure Cloud

PostgreSQL

English communication

Tools

Docker

Git

Terraform

Azure DevOps

AKS

Form Recognizer

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with lawyers, practice groups, and business stakeholders to identify and prioritize AI and legal technology opportunities.
• Translate legal workflows and business requirements into solution designs, and author technical design documents that carry them through architecture, security, and governance review.
• Design end-to-end AI-enabled solutions that enhance legal service delivery, knowledge management, research, drafting, and operational efficiency.
• Build prototypes and proofs of concept to validate solution designs before committing engineering resources.
• Collaborate with Product Managers and Engineers to define requirements, prioritize features, and guide delivery.
• Evaluate emerging AI, legal technology, and automation capabilities and recommend practical applications for the firm.
• Ensure solutions align with architecture, security, governance, privacy, and responsible AI standards.
• Lead workshops, discovery sessions, and user testing to validate requirements and drive adoption.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to scale, standardize, and enhance legal technology solutions.

Experience and Skills

• Hands-on experience integrating LLM APIs across one or more enterprise providers, such as Azure OpenAI, Google Vertex AI or Anthropic, including structured outputs, tool use, streaming, retries, rate limits, model versioning and cost controls.
• Understanding of traditional ML models and algorithms
• Hands-on track record working with Python in a professional environment
• Development & DevOps: Hands-on experience with git/git-flow, containerization (Docker) and CI/CD pipelines (ideally Azure DevOps)
• Communication: Strong English communication skills to engage with cross-functional stakeholders
• Experience with retrieval-enabled and agentic document workflows, including repository navigation, hybrid search and RAG, metadata, OCR, chunking, source citation, tool use, structured outputs and document generation.
• Experience building production services with Python and Django or comparable web frameworks, including APIs, streaming interfaces and asynchronous or background job processing.
• Experience working with relational databases, ideally PostgreSQL, including schema design, migrations, and query performance.
• Prior experience working in legal tech or professional services firms.
• Knowledge of Azure Cloud, including AKS, Service Bus, Azure OpenAI and Form Recognizer
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform)
• Experience in agile, fast paced environments
• Understanding of the security and compliance requirements of a professional services firm.

For individuals assigned and/or hired to work in New York and California, Freshfields is required by law to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This compensation range is specific to the States of New York and California and takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $325,000 to $375,000.

EEO Statement Freshfields US LLP is proud to be an equal employment employer. Our policies and practices will be free from unlawful discrimination based upon race, color, ethnicity, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), national origin, citizenship, immigration status, ancestry, age, marital status, protected veteran status, military service, disability, medical condition, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law. We strive to promote an atmosphere that encourages equal opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices, including sexual harassment.

Disability Accommodation for Applicants to Freshfields US LLP

Freshfields US LLP is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and provides reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in job application procedures.

UK Inclusion

Freshfields is an equal opportunities employer and all applications received by the firm will be considered by the firm on the basis of their merit alone and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of background. All offers of employment will be conditional on the candidate having/securing the right to work in the UK and providing the firm with evidence of that right (as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) prior to employment commencing. Freshfields is a Ban the Box employer. We ask applicants to disclose criminal convictions only when a conditional job offer is made. A conviction does not automatically lead to withdrawal of the offer: we make decisions on a case by case basis and take a number of factors into account (eg the role you are applying for and the circumstances of the offence). You would have the opportunity to discuss the matter with us before we make a decision.

Freshfields is a global law firm with a long-standing track record of successfully supporting the world’s leading national and multinational corporations, financial institutions, and governments on ground-breaking and business critical mandates. At Freshfields we seek to create a better future for our clients, our people and the communities in which we work. Our global teams bring together individuals with different experiences, skills and strengths in a culture where we support all to belong, engage and excel.