Our guest today is a true legal tech expert—Dennis Kennedy, director of the Center for Law, Technology and Innovation at Michigan State University College of Law. Dennis first saw the potential that technology had for advancing the legal industry when he started using computer tools in his estate and tax practice. He went on to work in house at MasterCard, where he focused on information technology and supported the company’s mobile wallet, API, and Labs business groups. For more than 20 years, Dennis has been an advisor and consultant on innovation, legal technology, and productization. Since 2015, he has been a law professor, helping his students explore nontraditional career paths in legal tech. Additionally, Dennis has written hundreds of articles on topics such as legal technology, innovation, and law practice management, as well as co-authored four books. He is also a frequent speaker and has co-hosted The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast with attorney Tom Mighell for over a decade.
Today, Dennis talks to us about his journey from an estate and tax practice to legal tech, being one of the first attorneys with a professional website, how he creates a sense of value around technology in law school, and his thoughts on recent advancements in artificial intelligence.