Stephanie Wilkins, editor-in-chief at Legaltech News, shares her journey from private practice to freelance writing and discusses the future of generative AI in the legal industry. They also explore the impact of technology on delivering legal services, advancements in document review, and the publication's interest in highlighting innovations and startups in the access to justice space.

Today’s guest is taking on the challenges of immigration law through innovative technology. Amélie Vavrovsky is the founder and CEO of Formally, a legal tech startup that uses accessible design to simplify and streamline immigration applications. The idea for the company was partly inspired by Amélie’s own immigration experience as an international student at Brown University. She started Formally as a hackathon project, geared toward helping refugees and asylum seekers immigrate into the US. While a grad student at Stanford, Amélie further developed Formally, and the company officially launched in November of 2021. In recognition of the important work she is doing at Formally, Amélie was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list earlier this year. In our conversation, Amélie discusses competing in hackathons, the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration, Formally's approach to making legal work easier, and her surprising reaction to being included in the 30 Under 30.

Many legal professionals have discussed complex topics in technology and innovation in simple terms, but few have done so quite as well as today’s guest, Daniel Yi, Senior Counsel for Special Projects and Innovation at the US Department of Justice. As a disclaimer, we’d like to mention that Daniel is joining us in his personal capacity and not as a representative of the DOJ. Before serving in his current role, Daniel started at the DOJ as a trial attorney and then as the director of the Fair Housing Testing Program. Today he leads the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division in its efforts to use the design process and entrepreneurial principles to test new solutions for sticky problems in legal practice and civil rights. Additionally, Daniel is an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, as well as a lecturer at Harvard Law School and the University of Maryland. Today Daniel talks about being an ultramarathoner, what has motivated him throughout his personal and professional life, and the importance of building trust in innovation efforts.

In this episode, Terri Mottershead, an innovation strategist and generative AI enthusiast, discusses the Center for Legal Innovation and its role in transforming the legal industry. She also explores the exponential growth of professionals in the legal ecosystem and the potential of generative AI to revolutionize the practice of law. Terri emphasizes the importance of staying informed and engaged in the rapidly changing tech landscape.

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.