Today’s guests, Lisa Colpoys and Mark Chandler, help lead the Filing Fairness Project at the Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession at Stanford Law School. This project is an ambitious, multijurisdictional effort to modernize court filing systems, widen access to courts, and improve the administration of justice by leveraging readily available technology already used in other sectors. Mark was chief legal officer at Cisco for 20 years, leading it to become one of the most innovative legal departments in the world. After leaving the company, he teamed initially with Professor David Freeman Engstrom and Stanford Legal Design Lab leader Margaret Darin Hagan to tackle the gap between the sophisticated tools available in the corporate world and those used by legal aid organizations and self-represented litigants as they navigate the court system. Lisa, who had already been an experienced leader in legal aid for over two decades, joined the leadership team last spring. Lisa previously led Illinois Legal Aid Online, and also worked at the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts and as a consultant to the Michigan Supreme Court Justice For All Project. Today, Lisa and Mark discuss what led them to Stanford, the goals of the Filing Fairness Project, the biggest challenge the project has faced so far, and the need for additional court funding.

Legal tech guru Stephen Embry discusses the clash between tech and traditional law, the use of generative AI by pro se litigants, and reevaluating pricing structures. He shares insights on starting his blog TechLaw Crossroads, the accuracy of legal tools for self-representation, and the transition from hourly billing to value-based pricing in the legal industry.

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.

With this episode, we mark the third anniversary of Pioneers and Pathfinders.  Nothing could mark this milestone better than to welcome back a thought leader in the legal profession and legal education, Cat Moon, lecturer and Director of Innovation Design at Vanderbilt University Law School. Since Cat last joined us on the podcast, she has co-founded VAILL, the Vanderbilt AI + Law Lab, which she also co-directs. In this program, she collaborates with professionals across various disciplines to improve legal practice by exploring and experimenting at the intersection of generative AI, legal education, law practice, and access to justice. Today, Cat discusses the resilience of her law students, the challenges ahead for lawyer training, her fascinating work with VAILL, and developing competency in the use of generative AI.

Our guest today is Zack DeMeola, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), a not-for-profit organization with the goal of advancing law and justice by promoting access, equity, and fairness in law school admission and supporting learning journeys from prelaw through practice. A former corporate litigation attorney, Zack left practice after several years to join the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS). There, he led the Foundations for Practice project, the most comprehensive study to date of the skills, competencies, and characteristics new lawyers need, and the Unlocking Legal Regulation Project, where he directed a team of researchers and lawyers to promote a regulatory system that meets the demands of everyday people. From 2020-2023, Zack promoted innovation in the legal profession and in addressing the access to justice crisis as a member of the Governing Council of the ABA Center for Innovation. Today, at LSAC, Zack supports a range of initiatives, from overseeing research into trends affecting current and prospective law students and advocating for a better way to regulate legal education to working with cross-functional teams to design and implement specific programs, learning outcomes, and standards-based assessments in the organization’s educational programs. Zack is also committed to continuous improvement in legal education as a co-chair of the ABA Resources on Outcomes and Assessments Committee. Additionally, he co-founded Access to Justice Ventures with Natalie Anne Knowlton—a past guest on the podcast. In 2023 the ABA Journal named Zack a Legal Rebel for his groundbreaking work creating a holistic way for law students to find where they fit into the profession, including his work with Foundations for Practice. In our wide-ranging discussion, Zack talks about the mission of LSAC, reconsidering the way we educate and test new lawyers, professional identity formation, and how clerking at the Arkansas Supreme Court shaped his career.

This week, we're joined by Maya Markovich, Justice Tech Executive in Residence at Village Capital and co-founder and executive director at the Justice Technology Association. Maya started her career journey in change management consulting for tech, then became a practicing lawyer. Having a deep interest in the possibilities of technology in the legal profession, she went on to work in legal tech product management and product marketing. She later joined Nextlaw Labs and Nextlaw Ventures, founded by Dentons, as Chief Growth Officer. As justice tech executive in residence at Village Capital, Maya works with a broad investor coalition and startup founders to define, support, grow, and fund the justice tech sector. As executive director of the Justice Technology Association, she supports the change-makers who are developing meaningful tech solutions to the A2J crisis. In addition to her work at Village Capital and the Justice Technology Association, Maya is a startup advisor, as well as a consultant for Am Law 50 and midsize law firms, legal departments, alternative legal service providers, investors, and venture funds on tech and innovation. In today's discussion, Maya describes her passion for legal industry innovation and talks about switching from practice to legal tech product management and VC, the common challenges of tech startups, the Justice Technology Association mission, and her core change management principles for successful business transformation.

Ilona Logvinova from McKinsey & Company discusses reimagining legal work with technology, training AI tools, and human-centric legal innovation. She reflects on her journey, challenges of implementing legal tech, and the importance of integrating technology for client-centric innovation.

Sarah Glassmeyer discusses her career transitions, the evolution of librarian roles, and the empowerment through technology. She delves into the shift towards open law and online legal information, overcoming gatekeeping challenges, and the evolution of legal technology for access to justice.

This week, we welcome Victor Li, Assistant Managing Editor at the ABA Journal. After working as the Assistant District Attorney at the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office, Victor decided to explore a new path—one in journalism. For several years, he was a reporter on various legal industry subjects at The American Lawyer and Law Technology News (now known as Legaltech News). He went on to join the ABA Journal as a legal affairs writer, and later took on his current position as Assistant Managing Editor, overseeing the “Business of Law” front-of-book department, which covers legal tech, law firms, marketing, wellness, law schools, and innovation, among many other topics. Additionally, Victor authored the book Nixon in New York: How Wall Street Helped Richard Nixon Win the White House, which was published in 2018. In today’s conversation, Victor discusses how he broke into journalism; writing about Nixon, wellness, and mental health in the legal profession; and the stories he will be focusing on in 2024.

Ashley Carlisle, CMO at HyperDraft, discusses generative AI's impact on legal innovation, streamlining document processes in healthcare, their invite-only platform's approach to client onboarding, AI technology adoption in the legal industry, transitioning from lawyer to entrepreneur, and the influence of generative AI on the legal field.