Jackie Schafer is the innovative founder of Clearbrief, a cutting-edge AI-powered legal writing tool. In this engaging conversation, she shares her journey into the world of AI and its transformative potential in the legal field. Jackie discusses the challenges lawyers face in adapting to new technology and emphasizes effective communication to bridge the tech gap. She offers practical tips on integrating AI tools into legal practice, streamlining document drafting, and enhancing workflow, making her insights invaluable for both novice and experienced legal professionals.
AI tools like ClearBrief are transforming legal writing by increasing efficiency and simplifying evidence visualization for legal professionals.
Effective communication of technology's benefits is essential to overcoming lawyers' hesitance in adopting new tools within their practices.
Deep dives
Leveraging AI in Legal Practice
Artificial intelligence is poised to transform the legal profession significantly, as highlighted by ClearBrief, an innovative tool that integrates with Microsoft Word. This tool helps legal professionals visualize evidence while drafting documents, streamlining the tedious processes of site checking and organizing exhibits. By allowing lawyers to focus on essential information rather than administrative tasks, the software has gained adoption amongst various major legal entities, including global law firms and governmental agencies. Additionally, ClearBrief serves as an example of how AI can enhance productivity and improve collaboration in complex legal tasks.
Communicating Technology Effectively
Effective communication of technological advancements is crucial for their successful adoption in the legal sector, particularly as many lawyers feel overwhelmed by new tools. The approach should center on simplifying concepts and demonstrating tangible benefits relevant to the audience's daily work. By focusing on practical uses and security concerns of AI tools, professionals can better engage their peers and encourage experiments with modern technology. This tailored communication fosters a more receptive mindset toward adopting AI within the legal community.
The Duty of Technology Competence
The duty of technology competence is increasingly important in the legal field, highlighting the necessity for lawyers to incorporate technology into their practices continuously. While many professionals express anxiety over using such tools, some demonstrate a growth mindset, setting aside time to learn and incorporate new technologies ahead of deadlines. Establishing structured learning periods within a firm can encourage all team members to become proficient with essential technologies and improve overall practice efficiency. This proactive approach to technology can differentiate law firms in an industry that is rapidly evolving.
Collaboration in Legal Tech
Collaboration technologies play a vital role in modern legal practices, as tools like ClearBrief streamline the review process between associates and partners. By allowing partners to navigate through the evidence while reviewing briefs, ClearBrief significantly enhances the quality of feedback and reduces common frustrations experienced in the review process. The tool also caters to the unique demands of legal writing by enabling associates to present hyperlinked, evidence-supported documents, creating a more efficient workflow. Ultimately, these advancements in collaboration technology aim to alleviate burdens on legal professionals, ensuring that they can focus on delivering high-quality services to their clients.
When Jackie Schafer started learning about AI in 2020, she had an intuitive feeling that it was going to bring big changes to the legal profession. Since then, she has worked with AI to improve legal writing technology for greater efficiency and accuracy. Dennis and Tom talk with Jackie about her perspectives on broader legal technology, competency, collaboration, and more. She also gives insights into her experience founding Clearbrief and offers tips on how to integrate the latest technology into legal practice for both beginners and seasoned tech users.
As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.
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Jacqueline Schafer is the founder and CEO of Clearbrief, an AI-powered legal writing tool.