In this episode of Law://WhatsNext, we sit down with Sean West, co-founder of Hence Technologies and author of the soon-to-be-released book Unruly, available for preorder ahead of its official release on 25 March 2025. Drawing on Sean’s experience as a globetrotting CEO , political advisor and legal technology founder, our conversation dissects the implications of a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape - what Sean refers to as a new “unruly” world order.
Key Themes & Highlights
Geopolitical Deconvergence: Why old-world certainties are fracturing, and how that puts legal professionals on the front lines of assessing and mitigating global risk.
Law as a Techno-Political Force: Sean spotlights how law and law firms are no longer mere service providers but active shapers of strategic conversations in boardrooms and beyond.
AI and the ‘Legal Singularity’: Referencing seminal works like Personalized Law: Different Rules for Different People by Omri Ben-Shahar and Ariel Porat, and The Legal Singularity: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Law Radically Better by Abdi Aidid and Benjamin Alarie, Sean provokes us to imagine a future where legal frameworks adapt at the speed of technology—and the profound implications it holds for practitioners and society at large.
A Special Offer for Our ListenersSean also shares how his team at Hence Technologies is forging new ways to track and interpret global events—so your legal function or organization can stay ahead of the curve. Want to give it a try? Head to global.hence.ai, and enter the code “lawwhatsnext” at checkout to receive a one-off promotional offer on the new product.
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Focused conversations with leading practitioners, technologists, and educators
Insights on navigating geopolitical risk, AI regulation, and the future of legal practice
Practical analysis of how emerging technologies can augment (not just automate) the work we do