Hartford Business Journal

18 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 23, 2026 Thank you to the manufacturers, partners, and colleagues who have shared in CONNSTEP's 25-year journey. Together, we are proud to help strengthen the future of manufacturing in our state. th ANNIVERSARY connstep.org Office upgrades Part of his mandate will be continuing the firm's geographic expansion. Since opening offices in Boston and New York in the 1990s, Robinson+Cole has steadily broadened its footprint, adding locations in Florida and California in the following decade, then Wilmington and Philadelphia in 2019. Its most recent expansions have been an office in Washington, D.C., which opened in 2022, and one in Austin, Texas, in 2024. "We're not in the market for a merger, that's not our focus," Wirvin said. "We'll move into other jurisdictions, other growth markets if it makes sense for us — what's best for our clients, what's best for our people." The firm is actively recruiting larger groups of attorneys as part of its growth strategy. Tobin, who led the firm from 2021 until stepping down as managing partner, remains co-chair of the growth committee, which Wirvin said provides continuity. What is planned, he said, are upgraded offices across the firm's footprint. The Hartford office moved two years ago from 280 Trumbull St. — where it had been for nearly 40 years — back to its historic roots on State Street. The Boston office relocated last year. "I have a big focus on branding and marketing for the firm," he said. "I'm always focused on trying to keep things consistent, so as we move offices, if you were to come to Boston, you'd see the branding looks a lot like it does in Hartford." Next in line is the firm's Stamford office, which will soon move to the city's Metro Center at 1 Station Place, an eight-story office building adjacent to the Stamford rail station. Wirvin said upgraded space and proximity to train service to Manhattan were key factors in the relocation. He expects all of the firm's locations to upgrade their office space within the next three to five years. Tech focus As part of those upgrades, Robin- son+Cole is investing in technology to support hybrid work environments for its attorneys. That includes a phone app allowing employees to book conference rooms and other spaces. The Hartford office emphasizes sight lines and natural light, with internal glass walls. Each computer also features a "busy" light visible outside the office that signals when the user should not be disturbed. The firm's technology push also includes a significant focus on inte- grating artificial intelligence into its workflows — something Wirvin, a self-described technophile, said he plans to drive forward. Robinson+Cole has been partnering with agentic artificial intelligence builder Newcode.ai on a generative AI platform tailored to the legal profes- sion. The firm also deploys Microsoft Copilot. Wirvin said the firm has leaned into the technology over the past year, making a conscious effort to get attorneys and support staff up to speed on its use. "Before they can access our AI prod- ucts, whether it's Newcode or Copilot, they have to go through a training process and a certification process that we control," he said. "More than 80% of our people are now on that, and we track relatively carefully who's using AI and for what." The firm is also developing a broader strategy for integrating AI across its practices. In transactional practice, for example, attorneys might be using it to model specific provisions in a contract that they haven't drafted before. In litigation, AI can be used for an initial review of large documents. "There's never a system where we're going to allow a system to auton- omously give an answer without a human in the loop," Wirvin said. "I don't think it's a question of whether we use AI, it's how we best use it effectively and responsibly." J. Michael Wirvin's main specialty has been advising international companies on mergers and acquisitions. HBJ Photo | Steve Laschever Future Focus Continued from page 17

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