Ballard Spahr Introduces 'Ask Ellis' and Companion Generative AI Solutions

Ballard Spahr announced its rollout today of a custom suite of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools that increase efficiency and effectiveness for lawyers and their clients—featuring “Ask Ellis,” a chatbot named for the lawyer who co-founded the firm 140 years ago.

Ask Ellis invokes the legacy of Ellis Ames Ballard, a firm namesake since he joined in 1885, when the firm had just one other lawyer. The suite of tools is the latest product of the firm’s culture of innovation, legal and operational excellence, and outstanding client service, which have been the hallmark of Ballard Spahr’s success and growth—including recent expansion into the Pacific Northwest.

“Ballard Spahr’s proud and distinguished history stands as the foundation as we go beyond to lead the way into an exciting future for our clients, where technology helps create better companies and better communities,” firm Chair Peter V. Michaud said. “I am proud of our team’s exceptional efforts in developing and deploying these cutting-edge tools. They put the power of AI to work for our clients, to help us provide value beyond the ordinary.”

Notably, Ask Ellis was developed in-house under the leadership of Director of Technology Innovation Lisa Mayo Haynes, who is part of the Information Technology Department, led by Chief Information Officer Robert F. Holloway. This approach resulted in significant savings on licensing and implementation costs while ensuring seamless integration with the firm’s existing technology infrastructure. Client innovation is a key component of Ballard Spahr’s IT strategy, and this development reflects the firm’s commitment to leveraging technology-driven solutions that enhance efficiency and deliver tangible value to clients.

Secure Environment

As with all of the firm’s technology and data innovations, data security is the highest priority and serves as the foundation of Ballard Spahr’s AI tools. Ask Ellis uses data from publicly available ChatGPT large language models but resides in Ballard Spahr’s private tenant, a dedicated and secure one-way environment that protects confidential data with strict access control for authorized users.

“Our in-house development of Ask Ellis underscores our commitment to innovation and ensures that we maintain full control over data security and system integrity,” CIO Rob Holloway said. “By leveraging our internal expertise, we have created a powerful AI tool that enhances efficiency while upholding the highest standards of client confidentiality and data protection.”

The initial version of Ask Ellis comprises three distinct “Assistants”: Chat, Draft, and Analyze. Ask Ellis Chat is a general-purpose ChatGPT for personal or business use, for anything from prefatory case research to finding the best venue for a particular client event. Ask Ellis Draft uses menus of prebuilt prompts to help quickly draft emails, blog posts, and more. Ask Ellis Analyze lets the user upload documents and chat, ask questions, and generate drafts based on the documents’ content.

Ballard X-Ray and Know Your Client

In addition to Ask Ellis, the recent rollout includes “Ballard X-Ray” and “Know Your Client” (KYC).

Ballard X-Ray serves as a customized, large-scale repository capable of tagging and storing thousands of documents and includes a search and chat feature so the user can quickly find relevant files, query to extract information, and create new drafts. Lawyers and clients work with our technology innovation team to build the individualized repository for each client.

KYC combines Ballard Spahr’s own client data with external data sources to provide metrics about clients’ financial performance and health. Examples include risk scores to quantify potential issues that could affect an organization, and customer segmentation to help tailor business strategies for various groups.

Ask Ellis, Ballard X-Ray, and Know Your Client are the latest applications in the firm’s Ballard360 suite of technology solutions—portals, dashboards, and applications—customized to meet the specific needs of each client. Ballard360 applications are developed by the firm’s Client Value and Innovation Department in close partnership with Ballard Spahr lawyers and their clients. Our team collaborates with clients to create tailor-made solutions that streamline processes and boost efficiency to address their most pressing challenges and most promising opportunities.

Contacts:

Robert F. Holloway, Chief Information Officer, 214.864.8450

Lisa Mayo Haynes, Director of Technology Innovation, 215.864.8430

For media inquiries, please contact Bill Shralow at 215.864.8195.