Legal Innovation Spotlight How AI Is Breaking the Big Law Training Model
4 snips
Jan 7, 2026 Ed Walters, Chief Strategy Officer of VLEX and co-founder of Fastcase, is a leading voice in legal innovation and education. In this conversation, he highlights how AI is transforming legal training, challenging traditional models like billable hours. Walters argues for a shift towards teaching essential human skills instead of monotonous tasks. He also discusses the need for law firms to embrace R&D, leverage billing data for insights, and integrate legal services into business operations, envisioning a future where technology reduces complexity and expands access to legal services.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
How The Podcast Began
- Ted explained how recording sales calls led to creating the Legal Innovation Spotlight podcast.
- The show began as a way to refine pitches and grew into a weekly learning forum with expert guests.
Ed Walters’ Career Snapshot
- Ed Walters described his career path from Covington to founding Fastcase and teaching at Georgetown.
- He framed his background as both a practicing lawyer and a legal-tech entrepreneur.
AI Compresses Brute-Force Legal Work
- AI will compress many brute-force legal tasks like research, drafting, and review.
- That threatens the traditional leverage model that turns associate hours into partner profit.