M&A is a profession of compressed timelines and high stakes. Anything that genuinely shortens the path to closing is welcomed by deal teams. AI does shorten the path — but the right deal teams know where not to use it.
The biggest time savings in M&A come from diligence and from drafting. Diligence reviews that used to consume the bulk of associate time can now be triaged in days rather than weeks. Drafting cycles for definitive agreements have similarly compressed.
Where AI Saves Time
The result is that the deal can close earlier — or, equivalently, the team can spend the time saved on the parts of the deal that genuinely require human attention.
Where to Slow Down
There are parts of M&A where speed is the enemy. Negotiating the deal terms, structuring the consideration, and managing the relationship between buyer and seller leadership are not problems that benefit from acceleration.
Our deal teams use AI heavily in the back office and lightly in the conference room. That's a deliberate choice.
Post-Closing Integration
Many deals founder not at signing but in integration. AI is increasingly useful in this phase too — particularly in mapping contracts, harmonizing policies, and identifying the operational gaps between two organizations.
Buyers who plan integration with the same rigor they bring to diligence — and who use AI to do it — see meaningfully better outcomes in the year after closing.
A Note on Confidentiality
M&A is the practice area where confidentiality requirements are most acute. We have specific protocols for AI use on deals — including stricter data handling, partner-only access to model outputs, and accelerated audit reviews.
Speed and confidentiality are not in tension when the firm is set up correctly. They are when it isn't. Buyers should ask their counsel exactly how their deal data is being handled.
