AI Specialist - Lafayette, LA

Grow with us! We are featured in Inc. Magazine's prestigious 2023 Inc. 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies List and are the 25th fastest-growing private company in the entire state of Louisiana!

Do you find satisfaction in helping people and making a difference in their lives and the lives of their communities? Laborde Earles is committed to providing quality representation to our clients and being fully attentive to their needs, which starts by providing the same favorable environment for our team members. Join us in standing up for our clients, with our community, by our work, and beside each other!

The Opportunity

We are looking for a highly driven, forward-thinking AI Specialist to set a new standard for our firm’s artificial intelligence strategy and innovation.

This is an ideal position for a strategic, self-starter with a strong understanding of business operations and emerging AI solutions.   The AI Specialist will play a critical role in advancing firmwide success by thoughtfully leveraging technology to support our growing, high performing team.

This role requires exceptional listening, communication and leadership skills to translate the firm’s vision into practical, effective AI solutions. A successful candidate will excel at cross-departmental collaboration and be passionate about guiding and empowering team members as they adapt to and embrace the evolving world of AI.

Objective

Lead the firm’s AI initiative, leveraging technology to optimize processes, enhance client services and support our legal teams in delivering exceptional results to our clients.

Desired Outcomes

1. Accountable for AI strategic planning, project implementation and optimization.

   • Collaborate with firm leadership to evaluate the firm’s AI needs and identify opportunities to optimize processes, the client experience, attorney/paralegal efficiency and operational scalability.

     • Analyze process bottlenecks and recommend AI-enhanced solutions to improve productivity and reduce manual tasks.

     • Develop long-term AI strategy, roadmaps and adoption plans.

     • Stay current on emerging AI technologies, regulatory changes and industry best practices.

   • Oversee AI projects from inception to rollout, including timelines and budgets, ensuring seamless workflows, data integrity, security, confidentiality, retention and access controls.

   • Monitor AI tools, prompts, and workflows to ensure accuracy, reliability, and relevance to ongoing legal operations.

     • Ensure data quality, structure and ongoing integrity within AI systems.

     • Conduct periodic audits to assess risk, compliance and performance of AI applications.

   • Serve at the internal subject-matter expert for AI tools, troubleshooting issues and ensuring proper usage.

2. Accountable for AI vendors and monthly reporting.

   • Select, negotiate and manage relationships with AI vendors.

     • Research/vet AI vendors and collaborate with VP of Legal Operations on vendor selection.

     • Maintain Vendors log.

     • Serve as point person for all AI vendor matters.

   • Monthly tracking/reporting to VP of Legal Operations:

     • Departmental budget:

     • Project Tracker (timelines, budgets);

     • Requests (In/Out);

     • Contracts (pending, signed, calendared renewals);

     • Expenses.

3. Accountable to develop and maintain AI policy/procedure and training to support AI adoption across the firm.

   • Develop new and update existing policies and procedures as needed.

   • Develop training programs to ensure new hires are confident and competent with AI technology.

   • Develop continuing education for existing teams on best practices for using AI tools safely and effectively.

   • Identify and track all user issues, providing technical support when necessary.

Skills/Abilities

• Strategic planning and analytical mindset with focus on process improvement

• Knowledge of data analytics, security standards and ethical considerations in AI

• Cross departmental collaboration/consulting and communication excellence

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

• Curiosity and enthusiasm for innovation and emerging technology

• Knowledge of legal technology platforms preferred

• Willingness to perform any/all tasks as assigned by supervisor and/or firm leadership in support of the firm’s growth and success

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business, Legal Studies or related filed; or three years’ experience supporting operations in relative field

• Project management and process improvement

• CRM (Salesforce, Litify, File Vine) and advanced Microsoft Office

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage vendors

• History of new system implementation, reduction of tech-related issues, improved data security and compliance and/or clear metrics demonstrating ROI on technology investments.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer

• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times

The Perks of Being Part of Our Laborde Earles Community

• Optional companywide events allowing you to play as hard as you work, such as Crawfish Boils, Christmas parties, Retreats, and more!

• Work-life balance is encouraged as we consider 36.5 hours your full-time requirement and we rarely exceed a 40-hour workweek. We prefer you work to live, not live to work.

• We celebrate life's little (& big) moments with you from birthdays & work anniversaries to marriages and births, as well as, support you when the going gets tough from procedures/hospitalizations to loss of a loved one.

• Collaboration and team member rapport is cheered and emboldened.

• We offer many competitive benefits upon eligibility waiting periods:

  • Company-paid Short-term disability & Life/AD&D;

  • Health, vision, dental, long-term disability, critical illness, and additional life insurance policies upon eligibility waiting periods;

  • 401(k) upon eligibility waiting periods;

  • PTO, paid holidays (10), and paid maternity leave;

  • Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), including dependent care;

  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Who We Are

We are a team and community-oriented personal injury law firm dedicated to winning for our clients who have had their lives turned upside down from injuries through no fault of their own. With multiple offices across Louisiana, we focus on ensuring people get maximum monetary compensation for various types of personal injuries or loss of a loved one from incidents like car wrecks, truck accidents, offshore, and workplace injuries. Our founders joined forces to build the premier law firm in Louisiana. With over 250 years of combined experience, our attorneys have earned a powerful reputation and have been nationally recognized as top trial lawyers. As a dedicated and high-performing team, we pride ourselves in our core values: All In, Work Hard, Play Hard, Honorable, Cutting Edge, Community, and Winners, Not Whiners. With all the proper tools in place, our mission is to stand up for our clients, stand with our community, stand by our work, and stand beside each other. You may begin your journey with Laborde Earles for many different reasons, but you stay for the team.

Our Core Values

All In: Being fully committed to a task or endeavor. Giving 110% for the team and our common goals.

Work Hard, Play Hard: Emphasizing work life balance. Putting in the hard work for the clients that depend on us as well as turning work-mode off sometimes to add fun, laughter, and relaxation into our routines.

Honorable: Making moral and just decisions, having an ownership mentality, being reputable and respectable through your work product, client and teammate interactions, and personal and family life.

Cutting Edge: Having the most advanced or newest version of a product or service, ensuring that we are functioning at our highest capacity as a firm, both effective and efficient.

Community: Being a pillar for the surrounding area and the people within by rallying for and supporting them through giving back and volunteering. Supporting the constant growth and improvement of ourselves and each other.

Winners, Not Whiners: Being a team-player even when the going gets tough to support the goals of our team and the firm, maintaining a positive outlook through the day-to-day challenges and setbacks, celebrating the wins and successes, being willing to step in and help for the sake of the common goals we strive to achieve.