When a law firm plucks an executive from a high-growth technology company to serve as a partner, it signals more than a routine lateral hire—it marks a strategic bet on the future of legal practice. Akerman, the Am Law 200 firm with a strong footprint in corporate and real estate law, has brought Michael Adler into its fold as a partner in Washington, D.C. Adler joins both the firm’s AI strategy platform and its corporate practice group, leaving his role as director of AI governance at Highspot, a sales enablement platform valued at over $2 billion. The move reflects a broader recognition among law firms that artificial intelligence is no longer a specialty niche but a core competency demanding deep governance expertise, and that the most effective legal advice often comes from professionals who have built and managed AI systems from the inside.
Why Akerman’s AI Strategy Platform Needed a Governance Expert from a Tech Company
Akerman launched its AI strategy platform to help clients navigate the legal and regulatory landscape of artificial intelligence, from compliance with emerging frameworks like the EU AI Act to risk management for internal deployment of generative AI tools. The platform is designed to sit at the intersection of corporate law, intellectual property, data privacy, and employment law—all areas that AI touches. But a platform is only as strong as the people who staff it. Hiring a partner who spent years inside a fast-growing AI-native company like Highspot gives Akerman a perspective that few law firms can replicate: the practical, day-to-day reality of governing AI in a commercial environment.
Michael Adler was responsible for Highspot’s AI governance program, which oversaw the ethical development, deployment, and monitoring of AI features across the company’s sales enablement suite. That role required him to understand not only the technical underpinnings of machine learning models but also the legal obligations that attach to them—bias testing, transparency, explainability, data provenance, and regulatory reporting. In a law firm, that experience translates directly into advice for clients who are building their own AI capabilities or integrating third-party AI into their workflows. Adler is not just a lawyer who reads statutes; he is a practitioner who has written fairness metrics, reviewed model cards, and negotiated AI vendor contracts from the buyer’s side.
Who Is Michael Adler and What Does He Bring to Akerman?
Adler’s background is a blend of legal training and hands-on product governance. Before joining Highspot, he held roles at other technology companies focusing on compliance and risk, and he has advised clients on data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI ethics. His move to Akerman elevates the firm’s ability to offer what the market increasingly demands: legal counsel that is informed by real-world engineering and product management. At Highspot, he worked on the intersection of sales technology and AI, where governance meant ensuring that machine learning recommendations for sales teams did not violate anti-discrimination laws, or that customer data used to train models had proper consent.
In his new role as a partner, Adler will split his time between the AI strategy platform and the corporate practice group. That dual appointment is significant. It means he will advise clients on M&A deals involving AI companies, on corporate governance structures for AI subsidiaries, and on the compliance obligations that come with deploying AI across a business. He will also help Akerman’s own internal operations as the firm continues to adopt AI tools for legal work—a area where governance is just as critical for a law firm as it is for its clients.
What Is AI Governance and Why Does It Matter for Corporate Law?
AI governance refers to the frameworks, policies, and practices that organizations use to ensure their artificial intelligence systems are developed and deployed responsibly, ethically, and in compliance with applicable laws. It encompasses everything from data handling and model training to monitoring and auditing. For corporate lawyers, AI governance is becoming a must-have capability because clients are under pressure from regulators, investors, and customers to demonstrate that their AI systems are fair, transparent, and accountable. Without robust governance, a company risks regulatory fines, reputational damage, and liability for algorithmic harms. A partner who has built a governance program from scratch can help clients avoid those pitfalls and design systems that are both innovative and legally defensible.
Akerman’s Corporate Practice Group Gains a Competitive Edge in the AI Era
The corporate practice group at Akerman handles a wide range of transactional work, including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financing, securities, and corporate governance. As AI becomes embedded in almost every industry, these transactions increasingly involve AI-related assets and risks. When a private equity firm acquires a portfolio company that uses AI, the due diligence must cover the company’s AI governance framework, the provenance of its training data, the intellectual property rights in its models, and the regulatory exposure it faces. A partner with Adler’s experience can lead that due diligence with a level of technical fluency that most M&A lawyers lack.
Similarly, companies raising capital from venture or growth equity investors are now routinely asked about their AI governance structures. Founders who can demonstrate that they have a responsible AI program in place are more likely to secure favorable terms. Adler’s arrival at Akerman positions the firm to advise startups and scale-ups on building those structures from the ground up, and to represent them in negotiations where AI governance is a key differentiator.
What Does the EU AI Act Mean for U.S. Companies and Their Lawyers?
The European Union’s AI Act, which entered into force in August 2024, imposes strict obligations on providers and deployers of AI systems based on the level of risk they pose. U.S. companies that offer AI products or services in the EU, or that use AI systems that affect EU residents, must comply with the Act’s requirements for transparency, risk management, and human oversight. Fines can reach up to 7% of global annual turnover. For law firms, this creates a surge in demand for advice on how to map existing AI systems against the Act’s categories, how to conduct conformity assessments, and how to document compliance. Adler’s experience at Highspot, which likely had to navigate the EU AI Act, gives him a practical understanding of the compliance burden that U.S. companies will face. Akerman’s AI strategy platform, now bolstered by his expertise, can offer clients a roadmap that is both legally sound and operationally feasible.
How Law Firms Are Competing for AI Talent and Why It Matters for Clients
Akerman is not alone in seeking out AI governance talent. Major law firms across the United States have been hiring AI specialists, including former regulators, computer scientists, and in-house counsel from tech companies. But the competition is intensifying. Firms that can credibly claim to understand the technical and operational realities of AI will win mandates for high-stakes matters: regulatory investigations, litigation over algorithmic harms, and complex corporate transactions involving AI companies. Clients are becoming more sophisticated and can distinguish between a firm that merely has a “AI practice” label and one that has partners who have actually built and governed AI systems.
Adler’s move from Highspot to Akerman is a testament to the value that law firms place on this kind of insider knowledge. For a firm like Akerman, which has historically been strong in middle-market corporate work and real estate, adding a partner with a pure-play AI governance background from a well-known tech company elevates its profile in the emerging law-and-AI space. It also signals to existing clients that the firm is investing in the capabilities they will need in the coming years, as AI regulation continues to evolve and as the technology becomes further embedded in business operations.
What Is the Role of an AI Governance Director in a Law Firm?
An AI governance director within a law firm is responsible for developing and overseeing the firm’s own use of AI in legal practice, as well as advising clients on their AI governance strategies. The role involves staying abreast of regulatory developments, conducting risk assessments of AI tools, drafting policies and procedures, and training lawyers on ethical and legal considerations related to AI. At Akerman, Adler’s title is partner, not director, but his responsibilities encompass both external client work and internal firm governance. He will help shape how the firm uses AI for document review, contract analysis, and predictive analytics, ensuring that those tools are deployed in a manner that maintains client confidentiality, avoids bias, and complies with professional responsibility rules.
The Strategic Significance of the Washington, D.C. Location
Adler will be based in Akerman’s Washington, D.C. office, which is a deliberate choice. The nation’s capital is the epicenter of AI regulation, housing the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Commerce, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the congressional committees that are drafting AI legislation. Being in D.C. allows Adler to monitor the pulse of regulatory activity and to engage directly with policymakers and agencies. For clients, that proximity means faster, more nuanced advice on how proposed rules and enforcement actions could affect their businesses. It also positions Akerman to participate in the public discourse around AI governance, potentially submitting comments on rulemakings or representing clients in investigations.
Moreover, D.C. is a hub for corporate law firms that serve technology companies, government contractors, and trade associations. Adler’s presence strengthens Akerman’s ability to compete for work in that market, particularly for matters involving AI compliance and risk management. The combination of his corporate practice ties and his governance expertise makes him a versatile asset for the firm’s D.C. corporate group.
What This Means for Clients: Practical and Strategic Implications
For existing and prospective clients of Akerman, Adler’s hiring translates into several concrete benefits. First, clients working on AI-related transactions can expect more thorough due diligence, with a partner who can interrogate the technical claims of a target company’s AI system. Second, clients that are developing their own AI governance programs will have access to a practitioner who has done it before, not just a lawyer who has read about it. Third, clients facing regulatory scrutiny or litigation involving AI will benefit from a legal strategist who understands the technology’s limitations and risks, and who can craft defenses that are grounded in engineering reality.
Adler’s role also helps Akerman’s clients prepare for the likely proliferation of AI-specific laws in the United States. Several states—including Colorado, Connecticut, and California—have already enacted or proposed AI governance laws. The federal landscape is fragmented, but the momentum is toward increased regulation. A partner who can map these overlapping requirements and help clients design a compliance program that scales across jurisdictions is invaluable. Law firms that can offer that kind of integrated advice will be the ones that retain and grow their corporate client relationships in the AI era.
Conclusion: A Hire That Reflects the New Normal in Law and Technology
Michael Adler’s move from Highspot to Akerman is not an isolated event; it is a leading indicator of how law firms are restructuring to meet the challenges of artificial intelligence. The days when AI could be relegated to a niche practice group are over. Today, AI governance touches every substantive area of law—from corporate and IP to employment and litigation. Firms that invest in partners who have lived the technology side of the equation will be better positioned to serve clients who are themselves navigating the complexities of AI adoption. Adler’s dual appointment to Akerman’s AI strategy platform and corporate practice group is a model for how law firms can integrate technical expertise into traditional legal service lines. For clients, that integration means more informed, practical, and forward-looking counsel—exactly what they need in an era where AI is reshaping the economy and the law.
