The AI company's Australia country manager shares how she experimented with Harvey as a litigator
Ashleigh Whittaker started her legal career as a commercial litigator. When AI company Harvey launched its platform, she started testing it out based on her litigator experience, and saw for herself how AI could help lawyers avoid late nights.
In the second part of this interview, the country manager of Harvey's new Sydney office explains why lawyers who don't use AI will get left behind, and how it feels to take a ferry into work.
How did you get started in law?
I was drawn to advocacy early on, so pursuing a career as a litigator felt natural -- and I loved every minute of it. Before joining Harvey, I spent over a decade in commercial litigation, spanning defence and plaintiff work, regulatory disputes, class actions and public inquiries.
What inspired the move from Quinn Emanuel to Harvey?
I first came across Harvey when it launched, and was immediately intrigued by how it might change legal practice. I had been hearing compelling stories from early users and was keen to test it out for myself.
I remember that when I first got the chance to, I wanted to put Harvey through its paces by mapping it onto my own experience as a litigator. I was genuinely struck by how well it handled pretty sophisticated tasks that had previously taken me hours.
Back then it was still early days, but I remember thinking: anything that helps lawyers avoid some of the late nights while actually improving the work itself is worth paying attention to.
Why in your opinion is it important for the legal profession to embrace AI?
AI will definitely have an incredibly meaningful influence on how we work in the future. Firms and in house teams are beginning to realise the benefits of becoming AI enabled. They’re learning how to use these tools in a way that is genuinely improving how they work – whether that’s the type of work lawyers get to do, realising efficiency gains, running gap analyses, improving accuracy, or lowering the floor and raising the ceiling.
My strong view is that firms need to get started with AI now, because it will set them up for the future. As AI progresses over the next few years, that foundation will let them keep pace with advancements. It’s also crucial for training the next generation of lawyers, which is a big conversation we have with a lot of customers.
We often say: AI won't replace lawyers, but lawyers who use AI will replace lawyers who don't. It sounds catchy, but I hear every day from customers how true it already is. One customer told us they were asked on a panel to scope out work. Firms not using AI took time to come back with a quote for time and cost. By contrast, they leveraged Harvey to respond with an answer instead of a quote - and in doing so, they not only won the client’s trust but secured future work.
I think it is a great example that the return on AI isn’t just about efficiency in the day to day tasks, but it can reshape the way lawyers build relationships and win business.
For you personally, how does it feel to be returning to Sydney?
Honestly, it's so exciting – especially being back this week, when it almost feels like summer. Time away makes you see how special Sydney is. I was on the ferry on the way to work yesterday, and I was struck again by how beautiful this city is, and just how wonderful it is to get a ferry into work. What a dream!
