Pioneers and Pathfinders

Carrie Fletcher, a leadership development expert and lawyer who trains leaders at Cambridge and London Business School. She discusses how law firms have evolved in talent and leadership, why human skills like trust and rapport matter, and how AI is reshaping apprenticeship and the need to teach intentional human skills.

In this discussion, Taylor Bell, founding partner of Arizona ABS Law PLLC, dives deep into Arizona's groundbreaking alternative business structure (ABS) frameworks. He highlights the rapid growth of ABS firms, the diverse use cases extending beyond traditional law, and how his background uniquely positioned him to steer this innovation. Taylor emphasizes the importance of compliance in ABS operations, the changing roles within legal talent, and his personal strategies for balancing entrepreneurship with family life. Tune in for insights on legal evolution!

Today we’re catching up with Daniel Lewis, CEO of LegalOn Technologies. LegalOn is transforming the way legal professionals review and negotiate contracts through advanced contract AI, helping thousands of lawyers work faster and with greater accuracy. Since Daniel last joined us, LegalOn has had some major accomplishments: its first acquisition, the close of Series E funding, the launch of its matter management solution, and an announced collaboration with OpenAI. In our conversation, Daniel shares insights on these recent accomplishments and dives into the challenges of AI adoption in legal tech as the technology continues to evolve. We also explore the implications of generative AI for junior lawyers and what it means for career development in the legal profession. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_DanielLewisReturns.pdf

Ruby Powers, an immigration attorney and author of 'Power Up Your Practice,' shares her insights as co-vice chair of the 2026 ABA TECHSHOW. She previews innovative conference topics, including AI integration and access to justice initiatives. Ruby discusses essential mindset shifts for lawyers to embrace technology and efficiency. With a diverse career journey and expertise in legal tech, she highlights the importance of networking and offers tips for maximizing conference experiences. Dive into her strategies for managing a thriving practice while adapting to the fast-paced tech landscape.

For our last episode of the year, we’re pleased to welcome back to the podcast Justin Ergler. Justin is a consultant focused on legal operations, outside counsel management, and client value strategy. Listeners may know Justin from his work at GlaxoSmithKline, where he pioneered the award-winning Outside Counsel Selection Initiative and led the company’s global transition away from the billable hour to non-hourly, value-based fee arrangements. Justin also co-founded the Legal Value Network and continues to serve as a board member. Additionally, Justin is co-host of the podcast Off the Clock with Keith Maziarek. Justin and Keith had previously joined us for a two-part discussion in May. Today, Justin returns for a one-on-one conversation about finding the procurement path, why he values being part of a team, helping law firms tackle the challenges of data, and his thoughts on generative AI’s impact on legal services pricing. We will be off the next two weeks. Happy holidays to all our listeners and thank you for another great year! We will return January 7 with a new episode. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_JustinErgler.pdf

This week, we sit down with Ross Guberman, founder and CEO of BriefCatch—the leading legal writing assistant designed to help lawyers draft clear, precise, and impactful documents. A former attorney at a top law firm, Ross has conducted thousands of opinion writing workshops across the globe for prominent law firms, judges, agencies, corporations, and associations. Ross is also an award-winning journalist and best-selling author of Point Made: How to Write Like the Nation’s Top Advocates, Point Taken: How to Write Like the World’s Best Judges, and co-author of Deal Struck: The World’s Best Drafting Tips. In today’s episode, Ross shares his journey into law, the framework he developed for evaluating legal writing, and lessons learned from building BriefCatch. We also explore how technology is transforming legal writing and what generative AI could mean for the future of the profession. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_RossGuberman.pdf

Today, we welcome Travis Rogers, director & assistant general counsel on the Business Law team at Allstate—and a returning guest from our very first AI virtual roundtable. For over a decade, Travis has been at the forefront of innovation and legal strategy in the financial services and tech sectors. At Allstate, he has built cross-functional legal teams that seamlessly integrate with product and business development, negotiated strategic B2B partnerships, and advised on complex issues around data, privacy, AI, and emerging technologies. In our conversation, Travis shares the story of how he joined Allstate and how design thinking shapes his approach to legal work. We also discuss fostering an innovation mindset, the role of curiosity in leadership, and how Travis is reimagining lawyer training for the future. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_TravisRogers.pdf

Today, we talk with a returning guest, Colin S. Levy. Since he last joined us on the podcast, Colin has become general counsel at Malbek. Malbek is a CLM provider that helps large companies manage their entire contracting function, including using AI. In 2023, he released The Legal Tech Ecosystem, a book exploring the evolving legal world and how to leverage technology within it. He also teaches legal tech courses at Albany Law School and is working on a new book aimed at using AI in practical ways as a lawyer and legal professional. In our conversation, Colin talks about why he wrote the book and his approach as a law professor in the age of generative AI. We also discuss the importance of collaboration and cross-disciplinary work in in-house legal roles. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_ColinS.Levy.pdf

Our guest this week is Gus Neate. Gus is the CEO and co-founder of WilsonAI. WilsonAI, in turn, is a startup using AI to streamline legal operations for businesses. Gus is an Oxford graduate who began his career as an engineer before pivoting to law, working as a private equity lawyer at Clifford Chance. His diverse background also includes co-founding a tutoring company and working in product management at a legal tech startup. As an in-house lawyer, Gus witnessed firsthand the inefficiencies caused by repetitive legal tasks—an experience that continues to inspire his innovative work at WilsonAI. Today, Gus shares how his engineering background shaped his approach to legal problem-solving, the journey of building WilsonAI, and his vision for how AI can empower legal teams. He also offers valuable advice for those entering the legal tech space. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_GusNeate.pdf

This week on Pioneers and Pathfinders, we’re joined by Wendy Jephson, CEO and co-founder of Let’s Think. The company operates in a space they call “behavioral science AI,” which is intended to transform workplace productivity in the legal profession. Wendy brings a rare dual qualification as both a commercial lawyer and a business psychologist, with deep expertise across health care and financial services. Previously, she served as head of Research & Ideation for Market Technology at Nasdaq, where she introduced scientific research methodologies to enhance innovation and development processes. A recognized thought leader, Wendy speaks globally on topics such as AI, surveillance, cognitive engineering, organizational resilience, and the intersection of conduct and culture with technology design. In our conversation, Wendy shares insights into the behavioral science behind legal professionals, the founding story and mission of Let’s Think, and her vision for the future of lawyer training and workplace transformation. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_WendyJephson.pdf