Arnold & Porter Names Roger Maeda As First Chief AI Officer

Arnold & Porter has appointed Roger Maeda as its inaugural Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, the Washington, D.C.-based Am Law firm said on July 13, 2026. Maeda, who previously led the firm's enterprise applications and software development teams, will now oversee a dedicated AI unit tasked with building and deploying AI tools across the firm's global operations.

The appointment comes as large law firms race to formalize AI governance structures amid rapid adoption of generative AI tools for legal research, contract management, and document review. Am Law 100 firms have been steadily adding C-suite technology roles over the past two years, but few have carved out a standalone Chief AI Officer position distinct from the CIO or CTO function. Arnold & Porter, with more than 1,000 lawyers across 16 offices and over 40 practice areas, joins a small but growing cohort of global firms that treat AI strategy as a boardroom-level priority, rather than an IT sub-function.