Ep 285: Mark Cohen and Dierk Schindler On The Union Of the Digital Legal Exchange and the Liquid Legal Institute
Apr 1, 2025
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Mark Cohen, chairman emeritus of the Digital Legal Exchange, and Dierk Schindler, co-founder of the Liquid Legal Institute, explore their strategic union aimed at revolutionizing legal transformation. They discuss the importance of a holistic approach that blends technology, processes, and a curious mindset in legal practices. The duo highlights their organizations' complementary strengths and plans for joint initiatives, stressing that collaboration will drive the future of the legal industry, breaking down barriers and fostering innovation.
The merger of DLEx and LLI creates a robust platform for legal innovation, integrating executive insights with grassroots community engagement.
Legal transformation is driven by a cultural shift towards innovation and collaboration within organizations, adapting to rapid technological advancements.
Deep dives
Formation of a Powerful Union
The merger of the Digital Legal Exchange (DLEX) and the Liquid Legal Institute (LLI) aims to enhance digital transformation in the legal sector by creating a community of over 1,500 members from more than 140 organizations across various industries and countries. This union is expected to combine LLI's broad community approach with DLEX's executive-level insights, fostering a more robust platform for promoting legal innovation. Since both organizations were founded in 2018, they have independently championed legal transformation, and their collaboration signifies a significant step towards collaborative progress in the industry. The newly formed community will facilitate interaction and knowledge-sharing among different sectors of the legal market, ranging from in-house legal departments to law firms and technology service providers.
Enhancing Member Engagement
One of the key outcomes of the merger is the enhancement of engagement opportunities for members from both organizations. By combining their efforts, the DLEX will be integrated into LLI's framework to create a curated legal executive forum known as the Digital Leaders Exchange. This initiative is designed to allow members to engage not just as individuals but also as teams, participating in various projects and discussions that address the pressing needs of the legal field. The aim is to encourage collaboration on topics such as agile working, technology adoption, and governance while providing a structured environment where insights from executives and practitioners alike can shape the future of legal practice.
Defining Legal Transformation
The discussion around legal transformation is multidimensional, encompassing the evolving role of legal departments within business structures. It is largely driven by changes in the business environment and the need for legal functions to adapt to digital and AI advancements. Legal transformation necessitates a broader understanding of how legal services can be more integrated into business operations, requiring a proactive and data-driven approach. Both leaders emphasized that it is not merely about technology but involves cultivating a mindset that embraces innovation, creativity, and collaboration across various sectors.
Future Vision and Collaborative Impact
Looking ahead, the newly united organization seeks to advocate for a collective approach in the legal industry, moving away from the traditionally segmented atmosphere toward one that emphasizes cooperation. Both leaders expressed their commitment to creating a powerful community that leverages the unique strengths of each member while fostering communication among diverse stakeholders. They foresee a future where the organization can not only drive impactful legal transformation but also strengthen the voice of the legal ecosystem on critical issues such as rule of law and industry standards. This vision reflects a commitment to continuous evolution, ensuring that the members are equipped to face ongoing challenges and opportunities in the legal landscape.
As reported yesterday in an exclusive at LawSites blog, two leading international legal transformation organizations, the Digital Legal Exchange (DLEx) and the Liquid Legal Institute (LLI), have joined forces in a strategic union that brings together more than 1,500 members representing more than 140 multinational corporations, organizations, institutions and agencies across more than 20 countries.
On today’s LawNext, two of the principles of that union — Mark Cohen, chairman emeritus of DLEx, and Dr. Dierk Schindler, cofounder of LLI — join host Bob Ambrogi to discuss their vision of creating the world’s leading think tank for legal transformation. Among the topics they discuss:
The origins and evolution of both organizations.
How their complementary approaches — LLI's grassroots community spanning all levels of organizations and DLEx's executive-level focus — will create greater impact together.
What "legal transformation" means in today's rapidly evolving environment.
How businesses are driving change in the legal function.
The importance of mindset in transformation.
Plans for future collaboration, including joint projects and events.
Listen to gain unique insights into how these organizations aim to shape the future of legal through collective effort and a truly global perspective.
About the Guests
Mark Cohen is the chairman emeritus of DLEx and founder of Legal Mosaic. With nearly 50 years in the legal industry, Mark has been a prosecutor, partner at a major law firm, founder of his own firm, and head of an international aviation parts business. He writes for Forbes and teaches at law and business schools around the world.
Dr. Dierk Schindler is a co-founder of the Liquid Legal Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in European law and has extensive experience in private practice and in-house legal departments. Schindler has been a driving force in legal innovation and process-driven legal operations.
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