Pioneers and Pathfinders

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

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.

Nicole Bradick, Global Head of Innovation at Factor and former founder of Theory and Principle, returns to discuss her fascinating journey in legal tech. She emphasizes the importance of being a healthy skeptic about new technologies and explores how generative AI could improve access to justice. Nicole also shares insights on navigating the challenges of selling a company, the significance of understanding user needs in tech, and offers valuable advice for aspiring legal tech professionals aiming to innovate in a complex landscape.

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