Nasser Khasawneh to lead Eversheds Sutherland’s Global AI Strategy
In a strategic move signaling a deeper commitment to the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), Eversheds Sutherland has appointed of Partner Nasser Ali Khasawneh as its Global Head of AI. This newly established leadership role underscores the firm’s dedication to harnessing AI’s transformative potential across its global operations.
As part of this announcement, Eversheds Sutherland also unveiled a comprehensive suite of initiatives aimed at shaping the future of AI within the legal industry.
Nasser Ali Khasawneh, a distinguished Partner at Eversheds Sutherland, now assumes the pivotal role of Global Head of AI. Reporting directly to Co-CEOs Lee Ranson and Mark Wasserman, Khasawneh will spearhead the firm’s external AI strategy, with a special emphasis on generative AI. In this capacity, he will closely align the firm’s AI client advisory practice with its internal use of AI and generative AI technologies.
Khasawneh brings extensive experience in technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) and dispute resolution to this leadership role. He has been a trusted advisor to some of the world’s largest IT, media, and consumer companies, providing expert counsel on diverse matters ranging from commercial transactions to licensing, cloud computing, and intellectual property issues.
Khasawneh comments:
“I am honored to take on this very exciting new role as Global Head of AI. AI is without a doubt the most significant development in the technology space for a generation. This technology doesn’t belong to one geography, sector or practice group – my appointment will ensure that the firm takes a global approach in helping our clients consider the rapidly developing potential offered by generative AI.
Our highly talented team of lawyers around the world are already advising our clients on this fast evolving area of law and, working with the Global AI Leadership Team, I look forward to helping to develop this, in particular around regulatory, privacy and intellectual property issues.”
In tandem with Khasawneh’s appointment, Eversheds Sutherland has introduced the Global AI Leadership Team, tasked with ensuring a unified approach to AI strategy implementation across the firm. This leadership cadre comprises accomplished professionals from diverse domains, each contributing a unique perspective to the firm’s AI journey: Nasser Ali Khasawneh, Global Head of AI, Simon Gamlin, Head of Commercial (International), Rachel Reid, Cybersecurity & Privacy Partner (US), Babar Hayat, Head of Technology & Transformation (Konexo) and Marie McGinley, Head of Technology (International).
Furthermore, Eversheds Sutherland has launched its Global AI Task Force, designed to shape the firm’s external AI strategy while ensuring alignment with its internal AI adoption initiatives. This task force, led by Rachel Broquard (Service Excellence Partner, International) and Katrina Dittmer (Head of Legal Technology, US), comprises legal and business professionals from across the global organization.
The Global AI Task Force will play a crucial role in evaluating AI and generative AI products, engaging with internal and external stakeholders, and addressing legal, ethical, and regulatory compliance considerations.
Eversheds Sutherland is also pioneering a comprehensive global generative AI skills development program. This initiative aims to equip all legal teams and business professionals within the firm with the expertise needed to leverage generative AI effectively.
The program’s initial phase will introduce the ‘Generative AI Fundamentals for Law Firms’ training, developed in collaboration with SkillBurst. Eversheds Sutherland is one of the 11 global law firms participating in the launch of this groundbreaking legal industry training program.
Co-CEO Lee Ranson comments:
“Generative AI is almost certainly the gamechanger, a technology that will act as the catalyst for a fundamental shift in the legal profession. We want to be able to both navigate the impact of the challenges and opportunities this will create, but also to be able to work with our people and our clients with a ‘people plus technology’ approach.
Nasser is ideally placed to lead our AI client advisory work given his decades of experience in the TMT sector, and his equally long-standing relationships with many of our key clients in this exciting and fast-evolving space.”
Co-CEO Mark Wasserman comments:
“Embracing generative AI is not just a forward-looking strategy; it is an imperative for the legal industry. Our commitment to innovation, combined with our global capabilities, will enable us to provide our people and our clients with cutting-edge solutions and needed guidance in this transformative era.
Nasser’s ability to navigate the intersections of law and technology makes him exceptionally suited to spearhead our global AI practice. Clients will benefit from his leadership and experience in this quickly evolving field.”
These strategic advancements underscore Eversheds Sutherland’s unwavering commitment to harnessing the potential of AI to deliver innovative legal solutions and shape the future of the legal profession on a global scale.
