Hughes Hubbard Picks August as Firm AI Platform

Hughes Hubbard and Reed has selected August as its firmwide AI platform, deploying it across legal and business teams starting March 2026.

The move signals a growing shift in how large law firms approach AI adoption, choosing unified platforms over collections of single-purpose tools. For an Am Law 200 firm operating across four continents, the stakes of that choice are high.

The Evaluation Process

Hughes Hubbard ran a four-month evaluation before selecting August. The firm tested the platform across legal practice areas and business functions, including finance, billing, marketing, operations, and administration.

The firm was looking for a single, secure platform that could support both lawyers and business professionals. It did not want a set of narrow tools built for isolated tasks.

Neeraj Rajpal, Chief Information Officer at Hughes Hubbard, explained the firm's standard: "We have lawyers spread around the world working across transactional, litigation and regulatory matters. The bar for any new technology here is whether it can handle that range without creating more work for the people using it."

What August Does

August is a legal AI workspace that covers drafting, redlining, research, client communication, billing, invoicing, and broader business operations. It is built to carry context across web, email, and documents rather than treating each task as separate.

The platform is designed to work across an entire workflow. That distinguishes it from tools that address only one part of a lawyer's day.

Rajpal added that August "mirrors how our attorneys work while also delivering real value to our finance, marketing and operations teams," which made it a firmwide decision rather than a technology-only one.

Business Teams Included

The deployment at Hughes Hubbard extends beyond legal practice. Finance, operations, business development, and marketing teams will use August for document review, internal communications, and client-facing materials.

Robb Patryk, Managing Partner of Hughes Hubbard, framed the decision as a strategic investment. "Scale alone is no longer a differentiator," he said. "What matters is how intelligently a firm deploys its talent and collaborates with clients to solve complex problems."

Patryk said August gives the firm a competitive advantage by enabling lawyers and business teams to work faster and more cohesively, without compromising the judgment clients depend on.

August's Market Position

August launched publicly only months before this announcement and has since expanded its presence among firms seeking enterprise-grade AI. The company has raised 7 million dollars in funding from investors including New Enterprise Associates, Pear VC, Afore Capital, and Stanford Law School. Executives from OpenAI, Bain Capital Ventures, and Ramp also participated.

The platform currently serves law firms ranging from solo practitioners to Am Law 200 firms. The Hughes Hubbard partnership is the most prominent deployment since the company's public launch.

Rutvik Rau, Co-Founder and CEO of August, noted what set the evaluation apart: "They didn't just test whether August could draft a contract. They tested whether it could work across every part of the firm. That's the bar we think more firms should be setting."

About Hughes Hubbard and Reed LLP

Hughes Hubbard and Reed LLP is a New York City-headquartered international law firm with offices on four continents. The firm has a history spanning more than a century and is recognized for its work across transactional, litigation, and regulatory matters. It is ranked among the Am Law 200.

About August

August is a legal AI workspace headquartered in the United States. The company has raised 7 million dollars in seed funding and serves law firms of varying sizes, from individual practitioners to large international firms.

Read more about August here:

August

August Law Technologies