The Geek In Review

Join John Tertan, Founder of Narrative, as he delves into the complexities of law firm pricing and the messy data that plagues the industry. With a rich background in big law, John explains how his company aims to improve decision-making in law firms by grounding it in accurate data. He discusses the importance of substance over flashy tech, the pain points driving firms to seek help, and the future of pricing models. John's journey from associate to innovator brings valuable insights into legal tech's transformative potential.

Join Steve Matthews, founder of STEM Legal and Slaw.ca, Sarah Sutherland, legal tech expert from Parallax Information Consulting, and Jordan Furlong, insightful legal market analyst. They dive into two decades of legal publishing evolution, discussing the risks of relying on 'rented land' for professionals. The trio reflects on the fallout from Twitter's changes, the growing appeal of Substack, and the essential role of lawyers as truth-tellers in a disinformation era. They also explore how AI will reshape content creation, emphasizing the need for human verification in publishing.

Jiyun Hyo, Co-founder and CEO of Givance, transitions legal AI from simple text summaries to interactive, visualized evidence. He discusses the 'last ten percent gap,' where seemingly accurate outputs may contain critical errors that jeopardize legal trust. Jiyun highlights the significance of visual aids like Gantt and Sankey charts for clearer case presentations. He warns of confidence errors in AI, advocating for supervisory agents to ensure accuracy. Finally, he shares insights on law firms' need for visual literacy to leverage Givance's innovative tools effectively.

Kyle Poe, an executive at Legora, shares insights on their recent funding and the innovative Portal product designed for client collaboration in legal workflows. He emphasizes the importance of client engagement and quick turnarounds. Zena Applebaum from Harbor discusses their acquisition of Encore Technologies, enhancing training and enablement of AI in legal settings. Both guests highlight shifting from task-level automation to comprehensive workflow efficiencies, ensuring firms can adapt to the rapid advancements in legal tech.

Cas Laskowski, Head of Research at the University of Arizona College of Law and co-founder of the Future of Law Libraries initiative, joins Kris Niedringhaus, Associate Dean at the University of South Carolina School of Law Library. They discuss how librarians can transition from passive observers to active leaders in AI integration within legal practice. Major topics include the impact of ChatGPT, proposals for centralized AI organizations, tiered training models for librarians, and the ethics of teaching law students to use AI responsibly.

This week, the hosts dive into exciting highlights from recent legal tech conferences. Marlene shares her joy at receiving a journalism award, and Greg reveals the buzz from ClioCon, including insights from CEO Jack Newton on Clio's ambitious Big Law strategy. They discuss AI governance challenges faced by in-house lawyers at the ACC Annual Meeting. Informal hallway chats yield valuable wisdom on legal research advancements. The pressure is on to automate workflows as AI tools evolve, sparking vital discussions on ethics and oversight in the legal field.

Nam Nguyen, co-founder and COO of TruthSystems.ai, has a unique blend of linguistics, computer science, and AI research from Stanford Law. He discusses the urgent need for trust infrastructure in law to keep pace with rapid AI advancements. TruthSystems focuses on operationalizing trust through Charter, a governance platform that monitors and guides AI use in real time. Nguyen emphasizes why AI governance should oversee inputs and outputs to minimize risks, aiming to transform static policies into active, automated practices for law firms.

Catherine Krow, Managing Director of Diversity and Impact Analytics at BigHand and founder of Digitory Legal, dives into transforming the legal landscape through data. She shares her journey from trial lawyer to tech innovator, driven by a pivotal billing challenge. Krow introduces her 'plan, measure, refine' framework for better law firm budgeting and discusses the concept of 'data debt.' She emphasizes the role of clean data in revealing inequities and enhancing profitability, while also exploring the future of pricing with AI and the impact of analytics on firm culture.

Anusia Gillespie, Enterprise Lead at vLex and debut novelist, shares her insights on legal technology and the human side of law. She highlights how negative reactions to tech can be transformed into opportunities for engagement. Anusia also discusses her novel, "Soul Toll," exploring the costs of high-performance legal culture. She emphasizes the importance of reframing the billable-hour mindset for innovation and warns against burnout in the fast-paced tech landscape, suggesting practical strategies for balance and restoration.

Daniel Lewis, the Global CEO of LegalOn Technologies, has a rich background in legal tech from Ravel Law to LexisNexis. In the conversation, he emphasizes the challenges in contract review for in-house lawyers and how LegalOn’s hybrid AI approach combines large models with attorney-curated playbooks for more reliable results. Daniel discusses the barriers startups face in accessing legal data and the essential skills for modern legal leaders, highlighting the shift from review tasks to strategic roles enabled by AI.