Pioneers and Pathfinders

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

In this engaging discussion, Reena SenGupta, executive director of RSGI and a pioneer in legal innovation, shares her unconventional journey from history student to reshaping the legal landscape. She emphasizes the necessity for law firm leaders to adapt their mindsets to keep pace with rapid changes, especially in the digital realm. Reena also dives into the transformative role of AI, discussing its potential to redefine legal practices from routine tasks to strategic advisory roles, while highlighting the importance of innovative legal education.

We’re excited to welcome back Nicole Bradick, one of our earliest guests on the podcast. Since last we spoke, a lot has changed. Nicole is now global head of innovation at Factor, following the acquisition of her design and development studio, Theory and Principle. She's also an advisor at both Paladin and LEGA, continuing to help push the boundaries of legal tech and justice innovation. In this episode, Nicole talks about the transition of Theory and Principle into Factor, and what that's meant for her work. She also shares why it's important to be a healthy skeptic when it comes to new tech, how generative AI might improve access to justice, and what advice she has for anyone looking to build a career in legal tech. Read the full transcript of the episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_NicoleBradickReturns.pdf

Ian Nelson, co-founder of Hotshot and former corporate lawyer, dives into the evolution of legal education and training. He discusses his shift from traditional law to innovative platforms like Practical Law, aimed at modernizing the learning experience. The conversation highlights how the pandemic redefined training methods, promoting interactive formats over lectures. Ian emphasizes the role of younger generations in driving change and the urgent need for law firms to adapt to technological advancements, including AI's impact on legal skills.

We're excited to welcome back Maya Markovich, a familiar voice on the podcast and a leading thinker in legal innovation and AI strategy. Since her last appearance with us, Maya has taken on a new role as vice president of the American Arbitration Association Institute, the thought leadership and R&D arm of the AAA-ICDR. She is also still serving as executive director of the Justice Technology Association, advising startups, and writing her monthly Scaling Justice column for Thomson Reuters Institute. In this episode, Maya talks about her new role at the AAA, and how the organization is thinking about innovation—a fascinating case study on change management for a successful longtime organization. We also dig into the uneven landscape of AI oversight in dispute resolution, and hear her take on what's emerging and exciting in the world of justice tech. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_MayaMarkovichReturns.pdf

Today's guest is Oded Oren, the founder and executive director of Scrutinize, a nonprofit that uses data analytics, AI, and legal research to shed light on complex judicial data. Before starting Scrutinize, Oded was a public defender in the Bronx. While there, he began digging into publicly available court data to spot patterns in how judges were ruling, an approach that soon evolved into the foundation for Scrutinize. In our conversation, Oded shares how his work in the courtroom sparked the idea for the organization, what kind of feedback they've received, and what's next for Scrutinize. We also talk about the challenges and rewards of building something new in the legal space, and the advice he has for others thinking of doing the same. Read the full transcript of this episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_OdedOren.pdf

This week, we're revisiting one of our most compelling conversations—with Damien Riehl, a technology lawyer, coder, and thought leader at the intersection of law and innovation. At the time of our conversation, Damien was vice president and Solutions Champion at vLex. vLex recently made headlines with its acquisition by Clio, which is a move that signals a new chapter in the evolution of legal technology. So, we thought now is an apt time to replay this conversation with Damien. His career has spanned roles at Thomson, Reuters, Fastcase, and the SALI Alliance. Our discussion touched on a wide range of topics: his early experience as a tech attorney, the complexities of confidentiality and legal AI, music copyright, and the enduring value of a liberal arts education. We hope you enjoy this encore episode as much as we did. Our guest today is Damien Riehl, vice president and Solutions Champion at vLex, a platform using artificial intelligence solutions to streamline workflows and provide lawyers with greater access to knowledge and resources. Damien was a tech attorney for more than 10 years when he made the leap to Thomson Reuters as Senior Product Strategist, where he developed innovative legal technology involving artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. Inspired by Ed Walters’ efforts to democratize the law, Damien later joined Fastcase, where he served various roles building out legal tools and systems. In his current position at vLex, Damien helps lead the design, development, and expansion of products. Additionally, Damien is part of the leadership team at the Standards Advancement for the Legal Industry (SALI) Alliance. He is also co-founder of All the Music LLC, a project that involved copyrighting 471 billion melodies and placing them in the public domain. In 2019, Damien delivered a TED Talk in which he describes this process and offers a new way to handle copyright infringement lawsuits in music. In today’s conversation, Damien discusses vLex's newest product—Vincent AI, his decision to leave practice and join Thomson Reuters, the genesis of All the Music, and the future of teaching legal research. Read the full transcript of the episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_Bestof_DamienRiehl.pdf

This week, we host Dennis Garcia, someone has been a leader at the intersection of law, technology, and business for over 25 years. He is currently Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft, where he leads the legal support function for the Microsoft Americas Strategic Customer Pursuit, Partner Solutions, and Sales Enablement & Operations teams—among many other responsibilities. Dennis’ journey into tech law began during law school, where he had the opportunity to support in-house counsel at IBM. That early exposure sparked a lasting interest in the intersection of legal practice and innovation. After graduating, he was hired by IBM for a full-time position, negotiating licensing and sale agreements. Dennis then served as counsel at Accenture, advising the Communications & High Tech and Financial Services Market Units. Today, Dennis shares stories from his early days at IBM, and how he developed his skills as a deal lawyer at Accenture. He also discusses the different ways he has been using Copilot in his work, as well as the ethical considerations of using generative AI in legal practice. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_DennisGarcia.pdf

Today, we're joined by Kevin Walker, founder and CEO of Centari, a deal intelligence platform that combines secure LLMs with trusted legal precedent to accelerate transactions. Kevin started as an M&A attorney at Paul Hastings before moving in-house to lead teams in real estate and private equity. Drawing on his experience representing businesses, he took the entrepreneurial leap to found Centari, where he has built products that he and his peers always wished they had as dealmakers. In our discussion, Kevin speaks with us about his passion for dealmaking and why he decided to transition to business. We also talk about how he and his team at Centari are making use of deal intelligence. Additionally, Kevin offers thoughtful advice for lawyers contemplating a career pivot into business or tech. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_KevinWalker.pdf

This week's guest, Dr. Roland Vogl, is a leading voice in legal education and the legal profession. He is the Executive Director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science, and Technology, and a lecturer in law at Stanford Law School. Dr. Vogl also co-founded and leads CodeX, the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics, where he drives cutting-edge research for the application of technology in the legal profession. In addition to his work at Stanford, Dr. Vogl serves as a visiting professor at the University of Vienna, where he teaches US intellectual property law. He is also a co-founder and board member of Merico, Inc., a platform focused on software engineering metrics. Dr. Vogl plays an active role in the legal tech ecosystem, advising legal tech and legal generative AI companies. Since 2022, he has served on the executive committee of the International Association for AI and Law. In this episode, Dr. Vogl discusses his journey from legal practice to academia, offering insights into the unique culture at Stanford Law School that helped spark the creation of CodeX. We also explore how CodeX selects its projects and how it’s adapting to the transformative rise of generative AI. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_Dr.RolandVogl.pdf