Pioneers and Pathfinders

This week, we’re revisiting our conversation with Leah Molatseli, formerly of Contract Alchemists. Since her appearance on the podcast, Leah has taken on a new role as Country Liaison in South Africa for the legal tech company Saga, where she is still helping lawyers navigate technology, innovation, and more recently AI. In this wide-ranging episode, Leah shares her perspective on the South African legal community, her passion for writing, and the importance of purpose-driven work. It’s a conversation full of inspiration and forward-thinking ideas. Thank you for listening. We will return next week with a new episode. This week, we welcome Leah Molatseli, founder of Contract Alchemists, a company with the goal of modernizing legal teams through legal operations, agile methodologies, and technology. Leah has over 10 years of experience in the legal field, and has a certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the University of Notre Dame. After practicing for a few years, she co-founded Lenoma Legal, a virtual legal tech startup aimed at helping small businesses in South Africa. Prior to starting Contract Alchemists, Leah was head of business development at Legal Interact, a legal tech company. She is also a speaker, a published author, and a council member at the University of the Free State. Additionally, she recently joined LexisNexis South Africa as an author and became a Voice and Brand Council Member at the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC). In today's conversation, Leah discusses the legal community in South Africa, how she approaches her writing, the TV shows that inspired her to become an attorney, and how being purpose-driven shapes her decision-making. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_LeahMolatseli.pdf

Today's guest is Leslie Grandy, an author, speaker, and trusted advisor to CEOs, product leaders, and teams. Leslie's career has taken some fascinating turns—from working in the film industry to guiding major brands on strategy and innovation. She's also deeply committed to education, having taught product leaders through The Product Guild, the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship, and as guest lecturer at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business. Leslie recently added author to her list of accomplishments with the release of her book, Creative Velocity, which explores how to drive better results and better collaboration through creativity and the thoughtful use of generative AI. In our conversation, Leslie talks about the importance of embracing a creative career path and discovering her personal superpower. We talk about her thesis that creativity is a learnable, repeatable system. We also discuss why reframing problems is often the key to solving them, the role of culture and creative problem solving, and her thoughts on how organizations should be approaching AI tools. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_LeslieGrandy.pdf

David Freeman Engstrom, a law professor and co-director at Stanford's Deborah Rhode Center, and Natalie Knowlton, the Associate Director for Legal Innovation, discuss critical regulatory reforms in legal practice. They share insights from their report on the impact of Arizona and Utah's changes, highlighting the promise of legal technology. David reflects on his journey from coaching football to academia, while both emphasize how AI is reshaping the legal field. The conversation reveals the need for law students to adapt to these transformations in practice.

Jason Marty, CEO and co-founder of Lumio, dives into the intersection of law and AI. With a background as global COO at top law firms, he shares Lumio's mission to innovate legal commercial operations through generative AI. Jason discusses the concept of 'service as software' and introduces the 'Rainmaker Companion,' designed to support revenue-generating partners. He also explores the importance of aligning innovation with financial incentives, the unique challenges in legal tech, and how AI is gradually transforming law firm business structures.

Jordan Furlong, a legal industry consultant and founder of Law21, returns to discuss the dynamic intersection of law and technology. He shares insights on how generative AI will transform legal work, suggesting that lawyers will need to adapt and redefine their roles. Furlong emphasizes the importance of balancing commercial pressures with societal duties, urging firms to focus on local actions amid larger issues. He predicts a shift in demand for legal services, highlighting the need for firms to evolve into solution providers and build deeper client relationships.

In this engaging discussion, Jonathan Petts, co-founder and CEO of Upsolve, shares his journey from bankruptcy law to founding a nonprofit that's transforming financial futures. He recounts the pivotal moments that inspired Upsolve, including a crucial pro bono case. Jonathan delves into the challenges of translating legal jargon into user-friendly tools and explores how partnerships enhance their reach. Excitingly, he unveils plans for AI to assist users navigating bankruptcy, aiming to reduce the staggering drop-off rates. His reflections on overcoming fear and embracing failure are both inspiring and relatable.

This week, we’re catching up with Ivy Grey, a legal tech entrepreneur, writer, and longtime friend of the podcast. We first spoke with Ivy three years ago about her fascinating background in anthropology and journalism, as well as her work at WordRake, where she's now chief strategy & growth officer. She also continues as an advisor to PerfectIt, a proofreading tool for legal professionals. In this episode, Ivy walks us through her “sandwich” approach to writing with generative AI, and how new tools in WordRake are helping users write more clearly and confidently. We also talk about staying ethically grounded while using gen AI, and how emerging tech might reshape legal training and apprenticeships. Ivy brings a usual mix of insight, clarity, and energy. Read the full transcript of this episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_IvyGreyReturns.pdf

We’re excited to welcome back Lucy Bassli, founder and principal at InnoLaw Group. Lucy is a leading voice in legal operations and contract lifecycle management (CLM), helping organizations rethink how they handle contracts through smarter processes and technology, including—of course—AI. Lucy is an advisor to several legal tech companies. In our conversation, Lucy shares why so many people are feeling “CLM fatigue” and what needs to change. We also talk about the future of legal education and how technology is reshaping everything, from pricing to professional training. It's a conversation full of her insight and refreshing, candid comments. Read the full transcript of the episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_LucyBassliReturns.pdf

With the school year just around the corner, we're going back to a great episode featuring Professor Nicole Morris of Emory Law. Nicole wears many hats. She's not only a professor, but also leads the TI:GER program, which brings together students from law, business, and engineering to turn ideas into real world innovations. Since we last spoke with her, she has become the Faculty Director of Emory’s IP & Innovation Clinic, the only clinic in Georgia authorized by the US Patent and Trademark Office to allow law students to practice patent law. In our conversation, Nicole talks about how she found her way into legal education and why experiential learning is so essential for today's students. It's a must-listen as we gear up for the fall. Thank you very much. We’re back after the holiday with a new episode. This week, we're joined by Nicole Morris, professor of practice at Emory University School of Law, director of the Innovation and Legal Tech Initiative, and director of the TI:GER program. Nicole has had a fascinating, multifaceted career journey. After working as a chemical engineer for several years, she decided to go to law school. She then became a patent attorney at large and midsize law firms, and later worked in-house. As a professor of practice at Emory, Nicole's focus includes patent law, patent litigation, IP licensing, and strategy. She is director of the school's program Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results (TI:GER). TI:GER is an innovative program that brings together graduate students in law, business, science, and engineering to work on ways to take innovative ideas from the lab to the marketplace. In our discussion, Nicole talks about her journey from chemical engineering to law, the various elements of TI:GER, and the importance of human skills in the legal profession. Read a transcript of this episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/BestofPioneers_NicoleMorris.pdf

As summer winds down, we're taking a moment to revisit one of our favorite conversations—this one with Denise Robinson, founding principal of The Still Center. Denise is a belonging & well-being consultant who helps lawyers and legal organizations cultivate personal resilience, build deeper connections, and create more inclusive workplaces. In this thoughtful and inspiring episode, Denise shares highlights from her unique career path and offers practical insights on how the legal profession can better support holistic well-being. We thought it was a timely reminder of the importance of taking care of ourselves and each other. This week, we're joined by Denise Robinson, founding principal and belonging & well-being consultant at The Still Center, a consultancy that facilitates personal well-being, interpersonal connection, and organizational inclusion through mindfulness-based diversity and inclusion methods. Denise started her career as an employment litigator, focusing on discrimination claims and other employment disputes. She later changed career paths and became a global diversity and inclusion professional—serving as a law school and college admissions officer for Georgetown University, director of diversity and inclusion at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, and diversity officer at the International Monetary Fund. In her current role at The Still Center, Denise teaches contemplative practice techniques to lawyers and other professionals to promote self-awareness and authenticity, interrupt bias, and advance cultural humility. In our conversation, Denise speaks with us about how studying philosophy led her toward a legal career, what she learned as an L&E lawyer, the connection between DEI and well-being, and the challenges of managing global diversity initiatives. Read the full transcript of the episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_Bestof_DeniseRobinson.pdf