Pioneers and Pathfinders

Today’s guest is Daniel Lewis, CEO of LegalOn Technologies, a company that uses AI to help legal teams find and fix contract risks. While a student at Stanford Law School, Daniel discovered his interest in legal tech, and soon envisioned himself going into business. Upon graduating, he founded Ravel Law, with the goal of building a better case law research experience by making use of new technology and taking a more data-driven approach. The company was ultimately acquired by LexisNexis, and Daniel served as senior director of product management and later, VP and GM of Practical Guidance & Analytical. He then went on to his current role as CEO of LegalOn’s US business. Additionally, Daniel is an investor in startups across various sectors, including education, health, legal and privacy, and enterprise. In our discussion, Daniel talks about how he found the legal tech path, his current venture at LegalOn—and how the company is incorporating generative AI in its services, and what he values in the businesses he invests in.

Guests Jae Um, Tony Thai, and Zach Posner discuss the advancements in generative AI and strategies for successful implementation in the legal field. They also explore investing in AI technology, the adoption of AI in the legal industry, the challenges in understanding AI, the timeline for AI-powered legal briefing tools, and the role of leadership in implementing AI technology in legal departments.

Today we speak with Karl Chapman, chief executive at Kim Technologies. After studying law at the University of Birmingham in England, Karl decided to go in a different direction from the lawyer path, working in finance and later starting a recruitment and training consultancy. Karl went on to found AdviserPlus Business Solutions, a leading advisory outsourcing company in the UK. AdviserPlus then created Riverview Law, which focused on providing managed services to corporate legal departments. Karl was chief executive at Riverview Law, then strategic advisor, following its acquisition by Ernst & Young. Today, he serves as director at Kim Technologies, a leading no-code, configurable technology platform that helps organizations—legal and nonlegal—automate their workflows, case management, and documents. In today’s conversation, Karl talks about his decision to go from law school to business, the early business challenges of Riverview Law, the wide scope of Kim Technologies' services, and the key factor for large language models of the future.

Our guest today is Amy Yeung, VP and Deputy General Counsel at Sallie Mae, and a well-known legal tech thought leader. As a paralegal at Williams & Connolly LLP, Amy learned the ins and outs of the profession and found inspiration in the lawyers she assisted. After working in the securities group at WilmerHale, she changed course and joined the gaming company ZeniMax Media as assistant general counsel. Amy would continue to serve various legal tech functions for the next several years before joining the financial services company Sallie Mae. Additionally, Amy is chair of the Law Department Management Network, the largest Network of the Association of Corporate Counsel, and she is a public speaker on topics such as data privacy, cultural change, and leadership. She has also been a mentor to many in the legal industry, and has received numerous accolades and honors, having recently been included in Corporate Counsel Business Journal’s inaugural “50 Women to Watch.” Today, Amy discusses her decision to take an in-house role at a gaming company, the considerations that have guided her throughout her career, and the need for informed dialogue as technology continues to advance.

With all the conversations on recent advancements in technology, particularly generative AI, we thought we’d revisit our interview with David Wang, chief innovation officer at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. His career exemplifies the importance of tech innovation and change management in the legal profession. We hope you enjoy. We will return with a new episode next week. The past few years have seen a rise in heads of innovation at Big Law firms. One of the leading voices in this space is David Wang, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s chief innovation officer. David is responsible for overseeing the firm's innovation strategy, the development and implementation of legal technology programs, and supporting and advising both internal and client teams on the legal and operational implications of emerging technologies and business models. He previously practiced corporate and securities law for more than 10 years, working with private and public companies on general corporate and transactional matters. Prior to becoming a lawyer, David was an entrepreneur himself. Under David’s leadership, Wilson has received multiple accolades for their innovative use of technology. In this episode, we discuss how David transitioned from the practice of law to leading a cutting-edge innovation and technology team at a Big Law firm, how he manages his portfolio of responsibilities, his decision-making process for taking on new projects, and what excites him most in the legal tech market.

As we head into the dog days of summer, we thought we would replay one of our favorite episodes. Given that August is National Civility Month, it seemed appropriate to revisit our episode with Jayne Reardon, former executive director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. Jayne has since retired from this role, but she continues to speak on professionalism topics such as civility, diversity, and leadership. We hope you enjoy the conversation. We will return with new episodes after Labor Day. In this episode, we are joined by Jayne Reardon of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, which promotes a more civil, professional, and inclusive legal culture in the state. In her nearly 16 years at the commission, Jayne has overseen a growing roster of initiatives rooted in civility, including programs on ethics, diversity, well-being, and the future of law. These programs are united by her belief that the legal profession can and should do better in meeting the legal needs of consumers by unlocking the underutilized potential of attorneys. Listen in to our conversation to learn: - How Jayne’s approach to the issues facing the profession are shaped by her prior experience as a successful trial lawyer. - What she sees as the barriers to civility in the profession. - How a focus on civility can increase access to justice.

Now more than ever, conversations around legal technology and innovation can be incredibly overwhelming—especially for those who are worried about the implications of generative AI. Our guest today helps facilitate these important discussions, with the goal of making new technology less intimidating for lawyers. Cat Casey is chief growth officer at Reveal-Brainspace, a cloud-based provider of ediscovery software, which helps legal professionals solve complex discovery problems. Prior to joining the company, she served as a practitioner for multiple legal tech firms, ran a global tech practice for a top 10 law firm, and was a national subject matter expert on ediscovery, cyber, and legal tech at KPMG and PwC. While serving these many roles, Cat developed her own brand as “The Technocat,” speaking and writing on AI and other subjects in tech across various platforms. Today, at Reveal-Brainspace, she leads marketing and direction for the company’s legal tech solutions, and frequently guest lectures on ediscovery, emerging data, and all things legal AI. In our wide-ranging discussion, Cat talks about being a "recovering introvert," how ChatGPT will change how we conduct research, her fascinating work at Reveal-Brainspace, and her thoughts on the future of legal tech.

Today we speak with Shana Simmons, chief legal officer at Everlaw, an advanced eDiscovery platform helping legal organizations solve the challenges of discovery and investigations more efficiently. Shana began her professional journey as a middle school and high school teacher before pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a lawyer. After working in a corporate practice at an international law firm, Shana took an in-house role with Google as a contracts manager, where she focused on enhancing the company’s legal operations. While working at Google, she was a fellow at the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. As chief legal officer at Everlaw, Shana leads a team responsible for the company’s legal, commercial, privacy, regulatory, and governance, risk, and compliance matters. In our discussion, Shana talks about what she learned as a teacher, the importance of legal ops, finding a community at the LCLD, and her exciting work at Everlaw.

As we often discuss on the podcast, many lawyers resist adopting new technology or innovative practices due to a fear of the unknown. Today’s guest, however, embraces change management and is always looking to enhance the quality of legal services. Wendy Butler Curtis is the chief innovation officer and chair of the eDiscovery & Information Governance group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Wendy started her career as a mass torts litigator, but later focused on eDiscovery and operationalizing innovation, where she learned more about leveraging data and managing the litigation process. In her current role as CIO at Orrick, she leads a team of lawyers, technologists, project managers, and business professionals who all work together to develop creative, client-focused solutions through novel products, streamlined processes, and technology. Additionally, Wendy continues practicing in the eDiscovery space, working with Fortune 100 companies and major financial institutions to create and deploy eDiscovery and records management programs. In 2018, she was named "Most Innovative Lawyer of the Year" by the Financial Times. Today, Wendy talks about being “exceptionally comfortable” with change, the creative skills of lawyers, practicing while being a CIO, and the role of her innovation team in Orrick’s talent development.

Today’s guest is a true expert in legal operations. Kiran Mallavarapu is the executive vice president and senior manager of Legal Strategic Services at Liberty Mutual Insurance. A mechanical engineer by training, Kiran worked at General Motors for several years before joining Liberty Mutual as a senior business consultant. He then moved to a legal ops role, where he was able to apply his creative and problem-solving skills while also utilizing data and technology. Today, Kiran leads a team of over 150 people focused on managing outside counsel relationships, legal analytics, and predictive modeling. The department provides systems and technology solutions to the company’s legal department—improving legal processes and driving innovation as well. It is one of the most well-known and well-regarded legal ops functions in the country. In today’s conversation, Kiran discusses how a toy car inspired his interest in problem-solving, the innovative culture at Liberty Mutual, what he's learned from working with lawyers, and storytelling through data.