Where We Excel


The Firm of Choice for AI Innovators

Vinson & Elkins’ Artificial Intelligence practice works at the intersection of law and business, guiding clients through the many challenges of AI innovation and positioning clients to seize the opportunities in this fast-evolving domain.

Drawing on deep knowledge and experience, our seasoned lawyers advise across the full spectrum of AI development and deployment. We are the firm of choice for innovators seeking not just legal advice, but strategic, forward-thinking counsel in building, powering, scaling, and defending the next generation of artificial intelligence.

Where We Excel

Data Centers: Development and Financing. Acquiring and developing land for AI data center construction, converting existing properties into data centers, structuring and negotiating complex transactions involving data center assets, and securing project finance.

Data Centers: Power, Operations, and Compliance. Structuring and negotiating power purchase agreements for AI data centers, developing solutions to provide reliable and cost-effective power supply, securing environmental permits, navigating regulatory compliance at the state and federal levels, and handling transmission and distribution issues, including interconnection with regional grids.

Transactions and Agreements. Providing strategic counsel on AI-related M&A, venture capital, growth equity, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and bespoke financing arrangements, licensing deals, SaaS subscriptions, and data-sharing arrangements.

Intellectual Property. Guiding clients on how best to protect, commercialize, and enforce their AI-related IP. This work includes conducting thorough due diligence, crafting and negotiate sound IP agreements, and developing robust data governance frameworks.

Governance and Risk Management. Designing and implementing thoughtful AI governance policies, ethical use frameworks, and compliance programs. This work includes helping clients mitigate the risks of inaccuracies, biases, confidentiality and data privacy concerns, and other challenges in AI systems, and incorporating the impact of AI into both voluntary and required disclosures.

Disputes and Litigation. Handling high-stakes AI-related disputes, including cases involving antitrust and unfair competition, algorithmic pricing, and data privacy. Our complex commercial litigation also advises clients involved in government investigations, bid protests, regulatory proceedings, and more.

Work with Us

With a global network of offices and strong local relationships, Vinson & Elkins delivers seamless, around-the-clock service. Chambers, Legal 500, and other leading directories recognize our lawyers for excellence in technology, energy, and infrastructure law.

Learn more below about our deep experience advising on artificial intelligence matters.

Experience

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At Vinson & Elkins, we bring decades of knowledge, skill, and experience to our clients’ most complex legal matters.

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Insights

Articles

Four Antitrust Pathways to AI Lab Coordination

The debate over AI lab coordination has collapsed into a false binary. There are at least four paths forward. In …

September 17, 2026

September 17, 2026 • 8-minute read

Podcasts

Powering Progress Episode 12 – Rethinking the Grid for AI

This series has explored the extraordinary amount of power required to support the growth of AI and data centers, but …

September 15, 2026

September 15, 2026 • 10-minute read

Client Alerts

Entering The Black Box: Will LLM-Based Pricing Models Bring a Second Wave of “Algorithmic Price-Fixing” Cases?

Executive Summary The antitrust world is currently riding a wave of cases alleging “collusion by code”—purported conspiracies in which competitors …

August 26, 2026

August 26, 2026 • 10-minute read

Podcasts

Powering Progress Episode 11 – The Incentive Challenge: Navigating the New Tax Landscape for Data Centers

As AI infrastructure investment accelerates, developers, investors, and operators are making long-term decisions based on assumptions about power, financing, and …

August 17, 2026

August 17, 2026 • 7-minute read

Podcasts

Powering Progress Episode 10 – Building Resilience into AI Infrastructure

Much of the conversation around AI infrastructure has focused on growth, new data centers, unprecedented capital investment, rising power demand, …

July 29, 2026

July 29, 2026 • 7-minute read

Articles

The Next Antitrust Frontier: AI Infrastructure

As hyperscalers race to acquire power, land, and AI infrastructure hardware, antitrust regulators are taking note, and they may be …

July 27, 2026

July 27, 2026 • 11-minute read

Podcasts

Powering Progress Episode 9 – Protecting the Advantage

As AI and data center development continue to accelerate, much of the conversation has focused on power, infrastructure, financing, and …

June 24, 2026

June 24, 2026 • 6-minute read

News & Achievements