Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Signs Both Harvey and Legora in Rare Dual AI Deal

Hogan Lovells Cadwalader (HLC) has partnered with both Harvey and Legora simultaneously, becoming the first major law firm to split the difference between the two rival legal AI giants. The dual alliance, announced as part of a wider AI strategy in October 2026, breaks with the pattern set by HLC's competitors. It rests on a single premise. As the firm puts it, "no single AI solution" can cover every need of a modern global law firm.

Why does one firm need two AI providers?

Most leading firms have picked a side. A&O Shearman and Slaughter and May chose Harvey — Slaughter and May rolled it out firmwide in May 2026. Linklaters went with Legora. Freshfields took a third path, striking a deal with Anthropic in April 2026 while building its own internal AI division, which senior partners reportedly considered carving out into a technology company worth billions.

HLC has declined to choose. The firm will run Harvey and Legora alongside ELTEMATE, its proprietary legal tech brand, which continues to develop in-house tools, workflows, and client-facing solutions. A newly created AI board will govern the whole portfolio.

The reasoning is explicit. CEO Miguel Zalvidar said: "There is no single AI solution that will meet every need of a modern global law firm. Harvey and Legora have been providing our lawyers with access to market-leading capabilities that enhance productivity and support client service across a wide range of legal tasks."

That is a confident claim. It is also, for now, an unproven one. Neither the firm nor the vendors have published productivity data supporting it.

Who will run the strategy?

The announcement carried two senior appointments:

• Paul Otto, a global regulatory partner in the Washington DC office, becomes managing partner for legal technology and AI — a new role.
• Oliver Campbell, a former capital markets lawyer, becomes chief transformation officer.

Both will answer, alongside the new AI board, for investment decisions and delivery. Zalvidar said the appointments "create the leadership, governance, and accountability needed to move quickly, make the right investment decisions, and ensure our AI strategy remains closely aligned to the needs of our clients and our firm."

Governance is the easy part to announce. Outcomes will take longer.

What does the deal change for practitioners?

For HLC lawyers, the practical effect is access to two vendor platforms plus proprietary ELTEMATE tools, with a board deciding where each fits. For the wider market, the move signals that exclusive vendor lock-in is no longer the default assumption among global firms. Vendors will read it the same way. A client that signs both rivals today can drop either tomorrow.

The strategy also keeps internal development alive at a firm that might otherwise have outsourced its technology future wholesale. That hedge carries cost — two licences, one tech brand, and a new governance layer — and the firm has not disclosed what the arrangement costs. Takeaway: HLC has bought optionality; whether it bought value remains to be seen.