Pioneers and Pathfinders

Our guest this week is Christina Wojcik, Head of Innovation & Partnerships at Pierson Ferdinand LLP—and a true pioneer in legal tech and professional services. Christina's career started on the business side of law, where she built high-performing teams and supported major transactions and reviews. As technology began reshaping the legal landscape, she leaned in, becoming one of the early leaders in AI-powered document analysis and helping to find a new era of legal service delivery. Now, at Pierson Ferdinand, an incredibly new and fast-growing law firm, Christina leads strategy around innovation and partnerships, working to deliver smarter, more efficient solutions for clients. She is also the founder of the Tampa Legal Network, a group that brings in-house legal professionals together across roles—lawyers and allied professionals alike—with an emphasis on inclusion and collaboration. In our conversation, Christina reflects on what we learned from the shift from paper to electronic communications, how she stays ahead in a fast-moving tech environment, the exciting work she is doing at Pierson Ferdinand, and her advice for anyone looking to build a career in legal tech. It was a great conversation with one of the field's most forward-thinking voices. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_ChristinaWojcik.pdf

Melissa Lauderdale, an executive director renowned for her transformative work in legal innovation, shares her inspiring journey in corporate law. She talks about integrating technology into legal operations, emphasizing adaptability in the face of challenges. Melissa highlights the importance of inclusivity within legal teams and the benefits of fostering a supportive environment. Her insights on navigating budget constraints and improving attorney-client relationships through auction tools provide practical strategies for today's legal landscape.

As lawyers ascend to leadership roles within their firms and organizations, they often face difficult challenges such as the need for guidance and coping with feelings of isolation. Our guest this week, Rudhir Krishtel, is dedicated to supporting legal professionals in navigating these issues. As an advisor, Rudhir provides spaces for lawyers, law firms, legal departments, and companies to have meaningful dialogue and growth around well-being, collective engagement, leadership, and business. He and his team use mindfulness-based practices to work with teams and individuals on identifying their particular challenges and finding solutions. Rudhir practiced law for 15 years, being a law firm partner with a patent litigation practice, and then worked as in-house counsel of IP transactions at Apple. He ultimately transitioned to advisory work, drawing on his prior professional experience and business principles he learned, in order to assist clients with overcoming their obstacles. In our wide-ranging conversation, Rudhir discusses his mindfulness-based approach to advising clients, how organizations can initiate cultural innovation, the aspects of practice that are often missed in lawyer training, and his advice for lawyer well-being in day-to-day work. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/pioneers_RudhirKrishtel.pdf

Adrian Parlow, co-founder and CEO of PointOne, revolutionizes legal tech with AI solutions for time tracking and bill review. He discusses the traditional struggles law firms face with billing and how automation can streamline these processes. Adrian shares his journey from lawyer to entrepreneur and the insights he gained at Wefunder that fueled his transition. The conversation dives into the broader implications of AI in the legal profession, advocating for innovation and rethinking legal education to prepare future lawyers for this changing landscape.

In this special edition of Pioneers and Pathfinders, we celebrate the fourth anniversary of the podcast. As we look back, one thing stands out: Our guests come from a wonderfully diverse set of professional backgrounds, but they all share a common thread—a belief that the legal profession can and must evolve to meet the challenges and opportunities of our time. The conversations we've had on this podcast reflect both the challenges and incredible opportunities ahead. Listen in for insights from: Former Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack • Former Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack • Andrew Perlman • Marla Crawford • Heidi Alexander • Kris Niedringhaus • Denise Robinson • Leah Molatseli • Kimberly Fine • Nicole Morris • Ned Gannon • Sanjay Kamlani • Ilona Logvinova • Steve Harmon • Zack DeMeola • Damien Riehl • Jordan Furlong • Jennifer Leonard • Dr. Megan Ma • Richard Susskind We’d like to thank all of you who listen to the podcast. Your engagement, feedback, and curiosity are what make this community so special. We also thank our incredible guests from over the years, who have been so generous in sharing their time, their stories, and their bold ideas. We’ll be back next week with more insights from the trailblazers shaping the future of law. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_FourthAnniversary.pdf

This week, we're diving into the world of access to justice with Kristen Sonday, a true trailblazer in making pro bono legal work more efficient and effective. Kristen is the co-founder and CEO of Paladin, an organization dedicated to increasing pro bono engagement while reducing administrative burdens. Through partnerships with law firms, corporate legal teams, bar associations, the US government, and over 300 legal service organizations, Paladin is helping to bridge the justice gap by streamlining how legal professionals connect with those in need. Before launching Paladin, Kristen worked on international criminal matters for the US Department of Justice in Mexico and Central America, and was part of the founding team of a New York City-based tech startup. She also shares her insights in her Thomson Reuters Institute column NextGen Justice Tech, where she explores the role of technology in expanding access to justice. Beyond her work in legal tech, Kristen is a founding partner of LongJump, a Chicago-based venture capital fund focused on supporting the next generation of founders. In our conversation, Kristen takes us through how Paladin is creating a blueprint for justice technology, her journey into access to justice work, the mission of LongJump, and the key lessons she has learned from her entrepreneurial journey. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_Kristen_Sonday.pdf

Today, we host a fantastic guest, Barbara Rogers, Vice President of Legal Operations, Strategy & Transformation at Honeywell, a Fortune 500 powerhouse known for developing cutting-edge technologies that tackle global challenges in safety, security, and energy. Barbara is at the heart of driving transformation within the company's legal operations. With a career spanning HR, procurement, and legal, she has led large-scale global transformation initiatives. She started out as an attorney focused on commercial and consumer plaintiff work, before moving into strategic business roles, including a time at Motorola as Senior Strategic Business Alliance Manager. Now, at Honeywell, she's building a forward-thinking legal operations function—one that's guided by strategy, innovation, and a clear roadmap for the future. In fact, her team's work was recognized last year with the Financial Times North America Innovative Lawyers Award for Innovation in Operational Transformation. In our conversation, Barbara shares her insights on legal operations and strategy at Honeywell, how she's cultivating a creative and innovative team, the common thread that ties together her diverse career, and how to navigate the fear and opportunities surrounding generative AI. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/pioneers_Barbara_Rogers.pdf

Our guest this week, Hal Brooks, is the CEO at HaystackID Group Holdings, a specialized eDiscovery services firm helping corporations and law firms find, understand, and learn from data when facing complex, data-intensive investigations and litigation. Hal is an eDiscovery and litigation technology professional with more than 25 years of experience. He has participated in the acquisition and growth of several industry-leading companies, and has helped businesses address challenges in the areas of litigation strategy, automated discovery processes, and cybersecurity. This year, Hal was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards. Today, Hal speaks with us about the advice he received at the beginning of his career, the evolution of the eDiscovery industry, Haystack's commitment to being a voice of reason, and the need for continuous education as technology evolves. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/pioneers_Hal_Brooks.pdf

We're joined today by Ned Gannon, co-founder and CEO of Coheso, an AI-powered work management platform for in-house legal and compliance teams. At the start of his career, Ned was a corporate attorney, primarily focusing on mergers and acquisitions on behalf of private equity funds. Fascinated by entrepreneurship, he ultimately took the leap into business himself. One of his ventures was co-founding eBrevia, an AI-based contract analysis software. Today, at Coheso, he and his team help legal and compliance teams run faster and more streamlined operations, while improving productivity throughout an organization. Additionally, Ned speaks frequently on topics related to artificial intelligence and the legal industry. Ned spoke with us about how earning a master’s degree in public administration prepared him for business, what it means for Coheso to be a "legal front door," balancing automation with human involvement, and managing the challenges of growing a business.

Today, we’re joined by Heidi Alexander, the executive director of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being, which plans and oversees efforts to enhance the well-being of lawyers, judges, and law students in the Commonwealth. As executive director, Heidi helps lawyers achieve a healthy, positive, and productive balance of work, personal life, and health. Heidi has a wide-ranging background in law and well-being work. She has been deputy director of a nonprofit lawyer assistance program that provides mental health support, addiction support, and practice management services. Heidi has also owned a solo law practice, practiced employment law and litigation, clerked for a justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court, and worked for a nonprofit women's business assistance center. Additionally, she is an avid speaker on topics such as attorney well-being, time management, productivity, and legal technology, and she has authored numerous articles and a book published by the American Bar Association's Law Practice Management Division, Evernote as a Law Practice Tool. In our wide-ranging conversation, Heidi talks with us about the mission and work of the committee, the various challenges to the well-being of lawyers, how her personal experience inspired her to focus on public service, and using technology to help with well-being.