Haynes Boone announced Monday that it has launched a firmwide initiative treating generative artificial intelligence as a "core lawyering skill," with workshops at all attorney levels administered by legal learning platform Hotshot.

The firm said it would integrate hands-on AI training as part of its standard attorney development program — from summer associates to partners — while also supporting adoption of AI tools.

"AI is becoming a foundational part of how lawyers work, learn and serve clients," firmwide managing partner Taylor Wilson said in a statement Monday. "Our priority is to ensure every Haynes Boone lawyer understands how to use these tools thoughtfully, responsibly and effectively. It is about investing in our people, strengthening our client service and building the knowledge and judgment required to use AI well."

Training is centered on responsible use, confidentiality, privilege, accuracy, professional judgment and attorney review. Attorneys are grouped based on experience level using AI. In a recent workshop in partnership with Hotshot, summer associates used approved tools to draft client communications, prepare employee-facing materials and tailor a client alert to a specific business context.

"The philosophy here is simple: lawyer prompts, lawyer decides," said Tony Capecci, director of practice innovation at Haynes Boone, in Monday's announcement. "AI can accelerate parts of legal work, but lawyers remain responsible for every question they ask, every answer they evaluate and every piece of work they deliver. Our training is designed to help lawyers use AI to strengthen — not replace — the professional judgment our clients depend on."

Hotshot, in November, announced its inaugural AI advisory board, which included Capecci from Haynes Boone. The company has been active in AI training this past year.

In February, Hotshot partnered with Legora with the specific goal of helping lawyers learn, practice and build confidence using AI. The team-up involved Hotshot developing training resources on using Legora, including instructor-led workshops.

The company also formed a partnership with Thomson Reuters in April to give law students access to AI tools and legal AI training content.

"Generative AI requires lawyers to ask better questions, provide better context, evaluate answers critically and take responsibility for the final work," Wilson said. "Those are core professional skills, and we are building them into our training from the start."

Haynes Boone ranked as the 77th largest U.S. law firm on this year's Law360 400 list, with around 300 partners among a total of 700 attorneys in the country. The firm employs over 750 lawyers across 21 global offices.

--Editing by Dave Trumbore.

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