Pioneers and Pathfinders

This week, on Pioneers and Pathfinders, we're doing something a little different, with a special two-part conversation featuring Justin Ergler and Keith Maziarek, co-hosts of the Off the Clock podcast and board members of the Legal Value Network. Now, you may remember Keith from a previous episode. He's the Director of Pricing and Legal Project Management at Katten Muchin Rosenman. Justin, a veteran of GlaxoSmithKline, now leads his own consulting practice focused on alternative fee arrangements and innovative legal service delivery. In part one of our wide-ranging discussion, we talked about why this is a great time to enter the legal profession, the ongoing frustrations with the pace of change, and how law firms and legal departments are rethinking billing structures.  Read the full transcript of this episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_KeithMaziarek_JustinErlger_Pt.1.pdf

Today, we revisit one of our most thought-provoking conversations, this time with Dr. Megan Ma. Since she joined us on the podcast, Dr. Ma has co-founded and become the Executive Director of the Stanford Legal Innovation through Frontier Technology Lab—otherwise known as liftlab. With a rich background in political science, economics, health law, and economic law, Dr. Ma brings a truly interdisciplinary lens to the future of legal education and technology. In our conversation, she shares her insights on how we train the next generation of lawyers, why mentorship and thoughtful design matter, and what it means to build a future-ready legal profession. Whether you're a seasoned practitioner or just starting your career, this episode is full of wisdom and perspective on where the law is headed and how we will get there. Our guest this week is a leading thinker on the application of generative AI in the legal profession. Dr. Megan Ma is the associate director of Stanford’s Law, Science, and Technology Program, as well as the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics—better known as CodeX. She also teaches courses in computational law and insurance tech. Dr. Ma has a background in a variety of fields: She majored in political science and economics, has master's degrees in health law and economic law, and earned her PhD in law. Additionally, Dr. Ma is an advisor to the PearX for AI program, and serves as editor-in-chief for the Cambridge Forum on AI, Law, and Governance, as the managing editor of the MIT Computational Law Report, and as a research affiliate at Singapore Management University in their Centre for Computational Law. We had a fascinating conversation about Dr. Ma’s lifelong interest in linguistics, how "empathetic" large language models can be for users, how generative AI could change lawyer mentorship, and her thoughts on the future of technology in the profession. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_Bestof_Dr.MeganMa.pdf

Today, on Pioneers and Pathfinders, we're joined by Farrah Pepper, Chief Legal Innovation Counsel at Marsh McLennan—and a true force in the world of legal innovation. Farrah has built a career at the intersection of law, technology, and strategy, from founding Gibson Dunn's Global eDiscovery practice to leading GE's Discovery Center of Excellence to shaping the future of legal innovation at Marsh McLennan. She also plays a key role at Legal Data Intelligence, helping professionals unlock the power of legal data to solve real-world challenges. In our conversation, Farrah shares what drives her boundless energy, how to build community in the legal tech space, and why the design phase is critical to innovation. We also talked about the importance of leadership support and the lessons she's learned along the way. Farrah was thoughtful and inspiring, so don't miss an episode with one of the leading voices in legal transformation. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_FarrahPepper.pdf

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