Legal AI company Harvey said today that it is launching a dedicated pro bono program in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
In the first phase of the program, the company will work with a selected group of it law firm customers as design partners. Initially, this group consists of senior pro bono leaders at the firms shurst Perkins Coie, DLA Piper, and Nelson Mullins.
Harvey said it will invest in helping those firms accelerate and deepen the impact of their pro bono programs.
“By starting with a small pilot group, we can build a detailed understanding of how Harvey’s products can support the vital work they do every day,” Christopher Hook, global head of responsible business, wrote in a blog post. “This practical knowledge will provide the foundations that will enable us to scale.”
He said that initial priorities of the program include:
- Creating custom agents to accelerate high-volume pro bono casework such as housing support, veterans services and social welfare claims.
- Developing templates and knowledge resources that can be utilized across the legal services ecosystem.
- Building repeatable workflows to allow pro bono teams to dedicate more time to supporting their clients.
In addition to providing programmatic support, Harvey will also provide staff for legal engineering support specific to the pro bono project in both the U.S. and the U.K.
Throughout this program, Harvey said, it will closely measure how Harvey affects outcomes and increases the capacity of pro bono lawyers to provide expert advice.
Harvey said that it is also exploring partnering with organizations that provide direct legal services.
It said it has identified an initial cohort of organizations that will receive free access to Harvey as part of an in-depth pilot launching later in the year.
Harvey is launching this pro bono initiative as part of the Responsible Business Program it announced in February.
“This step represents just the beginning of our work and investment in this area,” Hook wrote, adding that more detailed updates will come as the initiative develops.