How a Start-Up’s Legal Bills Led to Spellbook, an AI Co-Pilot for Transactional Lawyers (Scott Stevenson – Co-Founder)
Feb 15, 2024
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Scott Stevenson, co-founder of Spellbook, a legal technology company and computer engineer by training, discusses the intersection of technology and creativity. He shares his journey from video games to founding a legal tech startup and talks about merging his love for music with technology. He also discusses the challenges of standardizing legal work, the evolution of Spellbook, and its features such as clause generation and issue identification. Discover the origins and intention behind the name Spellbook.
Spellbook is an AI contract co-pilot that integrates with Microsoft Word, assisting transactional lawyers in drafting and reviewing contracts.
Scott's background in computer engineering and his passion for technology and video games led him to explore the legal tech industry, resulting in the development of Spellbook as a powerful AI co-pilot.
Deep dives
Spellbook: An AI Co-Pilot for Transactional Lawyers
Spellbook is an AI contract co-pilot that integrates with Microsoft Word, designed to assist transactional lawyers with drafting and reviewing contracts. The co-founder of Spellbook, Scott Stevenson, is a computer engineer with a passion for technology and video games. His journey into the legal tech industry began with his first legal bill, which motivated him to find a more efficient and cost-effective way to handle legal work. Scott initially started with a company called Rally, focused on document automation and templating, but the idea for Spellbook emerged as a marketing strategy for generating leads. However, Spellbook's success surpassed expectations, leading Rally to take a back seat as Spellbook thrived. The tool utilizes AI to provide suggestions for drafting clauses, reviewing agreements, and making edits, helping lawyers streamline their work and improve efficiency.
The Intersection of Technology and Creativity
While Scott's background lies in computer engineering, he has a strong connection to creativity and music. He developed an interest in electronic music and partnered with a music professor to create an innovative electronic instrument called Mune. The instrument combined elements of digital and acoustic music, providing a versatile and tactile experience for musicians. Despite the challenges of commercializing a niche music instrument, the journey with Mune sparked Scott's interest in the legal tech space. This interest grew after experiencing high legal bills, leading Scott to pivot and launch Rally, a document automation and templating engine. The development of Spellbook came as a surprising result, initially conceived as a marketing tool but evolving into a powerful AI co-pilot.
Privacy and Security in Spellbook
In addressing concerns about privacy and security, Spellbook prioritizes data protection. The tool does not store any user data unless explicitly chosen by the user. When data is stored, it is encrypted and kept secure. The company also emphasizes that they prioritize de-identification when using data for training purposes, removing any sensitive information. They strive to implement best practices for safeguarding client data, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with privacy regulations.
The Future of Spellbook and AI in Legal Tech
Spellbook's recent success in attracting thousands of law firms and legal teams has led to a new round of funding. With this capital, the company plans to focus on product development, enhancing AI accuracy, personalization, and expanding beyond Microsoft Word to other legal workflows. They aim to stay at the forefront of AI advancements, providing cutting-edge features and functionalities that cater to lawyers' needs. The company is also scaling its support and sales teams to better serve its growing customer base. Scott envisions AI becoming an integral part of legal workflows, revolutionizing tasks such as document review and email correspondence, ultimately empowering lawyers rather than jeopardizing their roles.
This episode is a conversation with Spellbook co-founder Scott Stevenson about intersection of technology and creativity. Spellbook is a AI contract co-pilot for transactional lawyers that plugs into Microsoft Word. Despite founding a legal technology company, Scott is not a lawyer but is computer engineer by training.
As a kid Scott was into video games and in fourth grade he talked his parents into getting him a computer because he wanted to figure out how to create them. By middle school he was building websites and eventually landed an internship at Electronic Arts.
Scott is also interested in electronic music and he launched his first start up, Mune, with a music professor, to create a whole new musical instrument that combined the power of digital music with an acoustic instrument. It was during his time at Mune that Scott started to think about building a legal tech company.
After he got his first legal bill he figured there might be a more efficient and less expensive way to do legal work. So he and lawyer buddy founded Rally, a document automation and templating engine for law firms which later begat Spellbook, but he funny thing about Spellbook, it was originally conceived as a marketing idea to generate leads for Rally.
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