Pioneers and Pathfinders

For anyone following the rapidly evolving area of legal technology, today's guest will be a familiar voice. Bob Ambrogi—lawyer, journalist, media consultant, and blogger—has been working at the intersection of law, media, and technology for 40 years. He is known internationally for his expertise in legal technology, legal practice, and legal ethics. He's won numerous awards for his blog and his leading role on the cutting edge of change in the industry, including being named to Fastcase 50 and Legal Rebels Trailblazers. Before entering the blogosphere, Bob was an editor at a number of mainstream legal publications. In today's conversation, we talk about Bob's journey as a journalist, his views on the current state of mainstream media, the potential of regulatory reform to further disrupt the industry, and the growing diversity of the legal technology industry.

Today we are joined by Ed Walters, a true pioneer in legal tech and driver of change in the legal industry. Ed is the CEO and co-founder of Fastcase, which has grown into one of the world’s largest cloud-based legal software providers for the legal industry. It currently serves more than 800,000 subscribers from around the world. Before founding Fastcase, Ed spent time in Big Law serving a number of large companies, and worked as a speechwriter in the White House. Ed is active in the A2J space, serving on the boards of Pro Bono Net, Public.Resource.org, Friends of Telecom Without Borders, and Salsa Labs. He also teaches Law of Robots, a class about the frontiers of law and technology, at Georgetown University Law Center. Ed is the creator of the Fastcase 50, a yearly list of 50 legal industry innovators who are drawn from all corners of the legal ecosphere. If you want to know who’s who and who’s coming up, it’s a can’t miss. Listen in to learn how this self-professed “beer and softball lawyer” became an entrepreneur and founder of a pioneering legal tech company, how launching during the dot-com bubble burst worked out for him, and what’s next for Fastcase.

If you have spent any time in the “legal tech” hashtag on social media, you’ve probably encountered today’s guest. And you probably already know that Colin S. Levy is not your typical lawyer. Shaped by his experience graduating law school during the tail end of the Great Recession, he has taken many twists and turns, from eschewing Big Law to finding an in-house job—and most recently, taking on the role of legal tech evangelist at a contract life cycle management startup. Through it all, one of his key takeaways was that a lack of technological aptitude in lawyers was limiting the growth and evolution of the profession. And he has dedicated himself to exploring and closing this gap by finding out what makes legal industry innovators tick through his blog, podcasts, and social media. Tune in to today’s conversation to learn more about Colin, his love of legal tech, and how he uses social media to create career opportunities for himself.

In recognition of Well-Being Week in Law, we are bringing you our interview with Jeena Cho, a pioneer in the area of mental health and wellness for lawyers. Long before the nonstop stressors of the last two years, Jeena Cho was a vocal advocate for the well-being of lawyers. It started when she realized how meditation and mindfulness could help her deal with the stress of practicing bankruptcy law. Since that time, her message about the urgency of wellness for lawyers has resonated throughout the industry, thanks in large part to her best-selling book, The Anxious Lawyer. She is a regular contributor to legal and traditional media, and she also speaks and offers training and workshops to law firms and bar associations around the country. Listen in to today’s conversation to learn about: - Jeena’s journey to law—which was inspired by a long-running TV show. - How her meditation practice started. - When she realized mindfulness had broader application to the well-being issues facing legal professionals, and how it can make the profession more inclusive.

Today’s guest is Michael Rynowecer, president and founder of The BTI Consulting Group. For more than 30 years, Michael has helped service organizations enhance their performance by looking at every angle of the client relationship through the lens of the client experience. He has conducted and analyzed more than 20,000 one-on-one interviews with C-level executives to discover their expectations, needs, priorities, preferences, and opinions about outside counsel. This research has established BTI as the industry leader in delivering insights on how clients acquire, manage, and evaluate their law firm—and has been very influential in shaping how we think about client service today. Join us today for a fascinating conversation on: - How Michael's love of music helped him learn how to become a great writer. - The impact of “the great resignation” on client relationships. - His number one tip to improve client service post-pandemic.

Today’s guest is Stephanie Corey, a true pioneer in the field of legal operations. She started her career in business and finance, but became the first legal ops professional in Silicon Valley when she assumed that role for HP. She then co-founded and is a former executive member of the leading legal operations trade organization CLOC—the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium. Today Stephanie is a co-founder of UpLevel Ops, a consulting firm specializing in providing services for in-house legal departments and law firms. Join us as we explore: - The evolution of legal operations—from budgeting to a true business focus for legal. - How the culture at HP created the perfect conditions for innovation in the law department. - The role of serendipity in driving change.

Today’s guest is Jordan Furlong, a legal industry analyst who has been writing, thinking, and speaking about the intersection of law and business for more than 20 years. As the mastermind behind Law21, he is on the constant lookout for critical new developments and emerging patterns in the legal services ecosystem. He uses these insights to advise legal organizations on how to plan their strategies and achieve their goals. Listen in as we discuss: • Jordan’s fascinating take on “lawyer formation”—the education and development of practicing lawyers. • What he sees as the gaps in training, and how those influenced his own path in the industry. • How Jordan is working toward a better future for the legal profession and the society it serves, and why it takes persistence, politeness, and understanding.

Today we welcome back our first two-time guest, the one and only Susan Hackett, for another enjoyable discussion about life, law, and business. For those of you who don’t know her, Susan is the CEO of Legal Executive Leadership, LLC, and was vice president and general counsel of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) for more than 20 years. While at the ACC, she presided over the creation of the Value Challenge, designed to recognize the in-house teams and outside counsel who are driving value in legal spending. Today Susan is part of a number of entrepreneurial pursuits focused on the improvement of the legal profession. Listen in to today’s conversation to learn about: • Susan’s take on the evolving role of the general counsel in in-house legal departments. • Her recent work on programming for In-House Focus. • The ramifications of a different mindset by the GC—and what that means for service providers.

Today's guest has a fascinating in-house role, and is a leading voice for the LGBTQ+ community in the legal industry. Wesley Bizzell serves as senior assistant general counsel and managing director of Political Law and Ethics Programs, External Affairs for Altria Client Services, Inc. He oversees a comprehensive compliance program covering the regulation of government affairs, providing advice and guidance on political law compliance for more than 75 jurisdictions. Just as important for our purposes, Wesley is incredibly active in promoting diversity and inclusion within the legal and corporate communities. He is a founding member and serves on the steering committee for Altria’s LGBTQ+ employee research group, and is the immediate past president of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Join us as we talk: - All things in-house. - How the pandemic affected his work. - LGBTQ+ inclusion.

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Pioneers and Pathfinders, we present this “best of” episode, featuring our first guest, Dr. Heidi Gardner. Dr. Gardner is a distinguished fellow at Harvard Law School’s Center on the Legal Profession and faculty chair of the school’s Accelerated Leadership Program and Sector Leadership Masterclass. She is also the best-selling author of Smart Collaboration and noted thought leader on the topics of collaboration, lateral hiring, in-house legal teams, leadership, and performance. Dr. Gardner’s work creates a roadmap for collaboration among lawyers who are by both disposition and training, highly autonomous. Listen in for a discussion of how working virtually has enhanced collaboration, the specific barriers to collaboration in legal, and the erosion of trust during the pandemic. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.