Hey there Legal Rebels! 👋 I'm excited to share with you the 17th episode of the 2025 season of the LawDroid Manifesto podcast, where I will be continuing to interview key legal innovators to learn how they do what they do. I think you're going to enjoy this one!

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If you want to understand how global experience shapes innovation in legal technology and the importance of empathy in technology adoption, you need to listen to this episode. Nikki is at the forefront of legal technology discovery and has a unique international perspective that gives her valuable insights into how different cultures approach legal innovation.

Bridging Legal Practice and Technology Through Global Perspective

Join me as I interview Nikki Shaver, CEO and co-founder of Legal Technology Hub and adjunct professor at Cardozo Law School.

In this fascinating podcast episode, Nikki shares her remarkable journey from literature scholar to legal practitioner to legal technology innovator. She explains how her international background, having lived in seven countries and nine cities, has shaped her approach to legal technology adoption and innovation. Nikki discusses her transition from practicing defamation law in Australia to pioneering knowledge management and innovation roles in Canada and the United States.

Her insights reveal the critical importance of empathy and cultural understanding when implementing new technologies in legal settings. This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in legal innovation, showcasing how diverse perspectives can transform the legal technology landscape.

The Skinny

Nikki Shaver brings a truly global perspective to legal technology, having lived and worked across multiple countries throughout her life. Born in the Netherlands to an Australian mother and Canadian father, Nikki grew up across Europe before pursuing degrees in English literature, history, and psychology. After completing her master's in literature, she made a career pivot to law, practicing defamation law in Australia before relocating to Canada, where she discovered her aptitude for legal technology in knowledge management roles.

Nikki details how her international background has given her unique insights into technology adoption, as she can better understand different cultural perspectives on change. She founded Legal Technology Hub to address the significant gap in the market for a comprehensive, searchable directory of legal technology solutions that could serve lawyers worldwide. What began as a directory has evolved into the preeminent source for market data on legal technology, complete with market reports, advisory services, and educational content that helps legal professionals navigate the rapidly evolving legaltech landscape.

Key Takeaways:

* Diverse cultural experiences foster empathy, which is crucial for understanding how different people approach technology adoption

* Knowledge management roles in legal settings can provide a natural fit for lawyers who feel constrained by traditional practice

* The legal technology market is experiencing unprecedented growth, with 400 generative AI products currently identified (up from 151 in July 2023)

* International experience is particularly valuable in legal technology, as it provides a broader perspective than jurisdictionally-bound legal practice

* Transformative legal technology is beginning to emerge at the nexus between law firms and their clients, potentially reshaping service delivery models

* Purpose-driven work, particularly technology that addresses access to justice issues, represents the most meaningful potential for legal innovation

Notable Quotes:

* "I think moving country to country teaches you about adapting to different cultures, but it also teaches you about how different people perceive things." - Nikki Shaver (04:57-05:07)

* "One of the things that I love about the legal tech and innovation world is you're still very much within that legal world, which I enjoy. But it's international." - Nikki Shaver (04:22-04:28)

* "I never would have guessed in a million years that I had an aptitude for technology. It would never have, even in the faintest recesses of my brain, occurred to me." - Nikki Shaver (18:46-18:53)

* "I think coding is actually linguistic and had I understood that earlier, I think I might have been quite interested because the way that my brain works is very logical." - Nikki Shaver (19:56-20:09)

* "I've been so delighted with everything that's happened with AI in the last few years. I just think it's the most interesting thing that has happened in our lifetime." - Nikki Shaver (20:56-21:02)

* "Being part of the legal tech community makes me feel as though I'm part of making law better for everyone." - Nikki Shaver (53:52-54:02)

Clips

Unexpected Aptitude for Technology

Finding Purpose Beyond Financial Gain

Skepticism About Postcolonial Literature’s Impact

Finding Purpose Beyond Financial Gain

Nikki's conversation reveals how her diverse background, from literature scholar to defamation lawyer to legal tech innovator, has positioned her uniquely to understand the challenges of technology adoption across different legal cultures. Her founding of Legal Technology Hub addresses a critical need in the industry: helping legal professionals navigate the increasingly complex landscape of legal technology solutions with a global perspective that acknowledges differences in languages, jurisdictions, and practice styles.

Closing Thoughts

What strikes me most about my conversation with Nikki is how her international perspective has become such a superpower in the legal technology space. While traditional legal practice can feel confining with its jurisdictional boundaries, the legal tech world offers the opportunity to transcend those limitations while still engaging with the legal profession we care about.

Nikki's journey from voracious reader to literature scholar to legal tech innovator demonstrates that our seemingly unrelated experiences and skills often combine in unexpected ways to create unique value. Her ability to translate between technical and legal worlds, informed by her global perspective, is precisely what the legal industry needs as we navigate this unprecedented era of technological change.

As we witness the explosion of AI applications in legal (with a staggering growth from 151 to 400 products in less than a year), Nikki's emphasis on purpose, particularly improving access to justice, reminds us to keep our focus on how these technologies can genuinely improve legal services for everyone, not just commercial clients. The legal tech community has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our profession for the better, and global connectors like Nikki will be essential guides on that journey.

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Cheers,

Tom MartinCEO and Founder, LawDroid

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Friedrich von Hayek and Robert Bork in discussion / 1978