Freshfields Takes Gemini Firmwide

Freshfields reports that 5,000+ professionals now use AI tools built on Google's Gemini models, one year into its Google Cloud collaboration.

Global law firm Freshfields has embedded Google's Gemini AI models across its daily legal operations, with more than 5,000 firmwide professionals actively using AI tools built on the platform. The rollout, which began one year ago through a strategic collaboration with Google Cloud, spans multiple proprietary platforms developed by the Freshfields Lab.

This move signals a shift in how large law firms are integrating AI, not as a trial, but as a core part of how legal work gets done at scale across global teams.

AI Tools Deployed

Freshfields integrated Gemini models into four bespoke legal solutions built by the Freshfields Lab. These are Dynamic Due Diligence (D3), a Case Management Platform, a Multi-jurisdictional Insights Platform, and the firm's proprietary general AI platform.

Due diligence is the process of reviewing legal and business documents before major transactions. Building a dedicated AI tool for this process reflects the volume and complexity of document review that law firms handle routinely.

The firm also deployed Google NotebookLM Enterprise with CMEK, which stands for customer-managed encryption keys. CMEK gives organizations direct control over the encryption protecting their data. Over 2,100 team members now use NotebookLM Enterprise regularly to synthesize complex material and work through large document sets.

Workspace Rollout

Beyond the Freshfields Lab platforms, the firm rolled out Google Workspace to more than 2,800 users. The suite includes Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet.

Teams use Google Workspace with Gemini for meeting transcription and document summarization. Staff have also created custom Gems, which are purpose-built AI configurations, for specific business services and legal workflows.

The scale of this rollout across tools, platforms, and practice areas makes it one of the more comprehensive AI deployments reported by a global law firm to date.

Training at Scale

Freshfields built and delivered an internal AI upskilling program called the AI Academy. The program was developed entirely in-house and delivered by 260 Freshfields AI Champions, with guest speakers from Google Cloud participating as well.

The training effort was endorsed by firm leadership and partners. Providing structured training at this scale helped ensure adoption across more than 5,000 professionals rather than limiting use to technical or specialist teams.

Gil Perez, Freshfields Chief Innovation Officer, described the outcome: "Now, our team members use Gemini, NotebookLM Enterprise and Google Workspace daily, collaborating across teams with confidence, proficiency, and strong governance."

Lukas Treichl, Partner and Co-Head of the Freshfields Lab, drew a clear distinction between the firm's current use of AI and earlier experimental phases. "A year into our Google Cloud partnership, Gemini is no longer an experiment at Freshfields. It is infrastructure. Our teams and clients use it daily across the Freshfields Lab's platforms for complex legal work spanning multiple practice areas."

Pat McCarthy, Vice President of Google Workspace, addressed the broader significance: "By integrating Gemini with Google Workspace and deploying tools like NotebookLM Enterprise, organizations like Freshfields can move generative AI out of the sandbox and into core business workflows. This collaboration illustrates how a secure AI ecosystem can scale across a global firm while upholding essential data governance."

Data governance refers to the policies and controls that determine how data is managed, accessed, and protected within an organization. For law firms handling confidential client information, governance standards are a non-negotiable part of any technology deployment.

The deployment at Freshfields covers four proprietary AI platforms, more than 2,100 active NotebookLM Enterprise users, 2,800 Google Workspace users, and a training program run by 260 internal AI Champions. Together, these figures reflect the operational breadth of the collaboration after its first year.

Freshfields has not disclosed specific financials related to the Google Cloud collaboration. No investment figures or cost data were included in the announcement.

About Freshfields

Freshfields is a global law firm with offices across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East. The firm serves clients across major practice areas including corporate, finance, disputes, and antitrust. The Freshfields Lab is the firm's dedicated innovation unit, focused on building proprietary technology solutions for legal and business workflows. The firm's collaboration with Google Cloud began one year prior to this announcement and covers AI infrastructure, productivity tools, and legal technology platforms.