Associate Director of Artificial Intelligence – Knowledge Transformation

About the role

The Associate Director of Artificial Intelligence – Knowledge Transformation is an integral part of Latham & Watkins’ Technology & Information Services team. This role will lead a team of expert knowledge professionals in transforming the firm’s transactional precedents, playbooks, and practice expertise into AI-ready assets.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement the firm’s knowledge transformation strategy, establish multi-year roadmaps for converting transactional precedents, contract templates, and practice playbooks into structured, AI-optimized knowledge repositories.
• Establish and oversee knowledge engineering standards, including taxonomies, metadata schemas, tagging conventions, and quality assurance protocols to ensure consistency, accuracy, and retrievability of knowledge assets across AI systems at scale across the firm.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of structured knowledge repositories, including clause libraries, negotiation playbooks, market terms databases, brief banks, motion templates, litigation strategy guides, and practice-specific guidance materials optimized for utilization as AI context.
• Partner closely with Innovation Attorneys, Legal Engineering teams, Knowledge Management Lawyers, AI Services Attorneys, and other technology colleagues to ensure knowledge assets are effectively integrated into AI-powered workflows for document drafting, due diligence, contract analysis, deal execution, legal research, brief drafting, and case strategy development.
• Establish and monitor KPIs, quality metrics, and utilization measures for knowledge assets, using data-driven insights to guide prioritization, optimization, and expansion of knowledge transformation initiatives.
• Protect and maintain any highly sensitive, confidential, privileged, financial, and/or proprietary information that Latham & Watkins retains.

Qualifications

• Possess deep expertise in knowledge management, taxonomy development, and information architecture, with the ability to structure complex legal content for optimal AI consumption and retrieval.
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of transactional legal practice, including M&A, finance, and capital markets workflows, with the ability to identify and curate high-value precedents and practice knowledge.
• Exhibit advanced knowledge engineering capabilities, including developing taxonomies, metadata schemas, tagging standards, knowledge repositories, and quality assurance frameworks for AI-powered legal tools.
• Have a bachelor’s degree, preferably in law, library science, information science, computer science, or a related field.
• A Juris Doctor (JD), preferably.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in knowledge management, legal technology, or legal practice, with demonstrated experience in knowledge engineering, taxonomy development, or AI systems.
• Previous management experience required.
• Experience in transactional legal practice, preferably, with litigation practice experience also valued.

Benefits & Additional Information

Successful candidates will be provided with an outstanding career opportunity and a welcoming environment, along with a generous total compensation package with bonuses awarded in recognition of both individual and firm performance. Eligible employees can participate in Latham’s comprehensive benefit program which includes:

• Healthcare, life and disability insurance
• A generous 401k plan
• At least 11 paid holidays per year, and a PTO program that accrues 23 days during the first year of employment and grows with tenure
• Well-being programs (e.g. mental health services, mindfulness and resiliency, medical resources, well-being events, and more)
• Professional development programs
• Employee discounts
• Affinity groups, networks, and coalitions for lawyers and staff

Latham & Watkins is an equal opportunity employer. The Firm prohibits discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race (including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status (including veterans of the Vietnam era), gender expression, marital status, or any other characteristic or condition protected by applicable statute.