Colin Levy, an author and head of legal at Malbek, dives into his journey into legal tech, detailing his transition from paralegal to in-house counsel. He discusses insights from his book, The Legal Tech Ecosystem, which serves as a beginner's guide to legal tech. Colin highlights essential skills for success, stressing data comprehension and adaptability. He explores the importance of structured processes and how legal tech is more than just AI, encompassing practical tools that enhance legal work and innovation.

Professor Tonya Evans of Penn State Dickinson Law School visits Technically Legal to talk about her book Digital Money Demystified. Professor Evans has pretty much held every job in legal from judicial clerk, to Big Law lawyer and now legal educator. She is also the host of the Tech Intersect Podcast which focuses on Web3 and how it will impact the future of work, wealth and creativity.  In this episode, Professor Evans talks about her journey from risk averse crypto doubter to blockchain believer. She emphasizes the importance of lawyers staying ahead of the curve in the rapidly evolving world of technology and the need for more education and awareness around crypto and blockchain, not only in law schools but also in other professional fields.To those ends, she founded Advantage Evans Academy, a platform designed for non-technologists to understand the new digital economy. Professor Evans’ book, Digital Money Demystified, is an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to learn more about cryptocurrencies. The book explains blockchain concepts in plain language and debunks many myths about crypto. Such as: Myth: Crypto is Mainly for Criminals. Fact: Blockchain data analysis firm Chainanalysis estimates that only .24 of all crypto transactions in 2022 were for illicit purposes. Myth: Crypto is untraceable. Fact: Blockchain transactions are pseudonymous, but, if recorded on an open blockchain, such as bitcoin, they are transparent and available to anyone to view.. Myth: Crypto is terrible for the environment. Fact: Not all blockchains are energy guzzlers, especially those based on proof of stake validation and it should not be overlooked that the energy consumed by traditional financial markets is much greater. Professor Evans also explains the need for clear crypto regulation and the risk of the United States falling behind if the regulatory environment is not clarified. Learn more about Professor Evans

AltFee, a legal tech startup, aims to replace the traditional billable hour with alternative fee arrangements for fair and transparent legal billing. The Leigh brothers explain how their app helps law firms transition to AFAs and value-based pricing. They emphasize the importance of client-centricity and efficient project scoping. Integrating with Clio for seamless invoicing and transparency in legal fees are also key topics discussed.

Scott Stevenson, co-founder of Spellbook, a legal technology company and computer engineer by training, discusses the intersection of technology and creativity. He shares his journey from video games to founding a legal tech startup and talks about merging his love for music with technology. He also discusses the challenges of standardizing legal work, the evolution of Spellbook, and its features such as clause generation and issue identification. Discover the origins and intention behind the name Spellbook.

John Grant, lawyer and founder of The Agile Attorney consultancy, talks about adopting Agile and Kanban project management methodologies to optimize workflows, correct bottlenecks, and increase client satisfaction. He discusses the value of Kanban boards and the benefits of making work visible. Additionally, he explores the challenges of getting paid in the legal industry and the significance of scheduled meetings in Agile project management methodology.

At an early age, Feargus MacDaeid, the founder of legal tech company Definely, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, which is a rare eye disease that breaks down cells in the retina slowly over time causing vision loss. Until he got to college to study computer science, Feargus’ vision was decent, but at university, it began to deteriorate and eventually went blind.  After college he landed a couple of tech jobs but ultimately decided to go to law school.  After law school, Feargus took jobs at two Magic Circle Firms in London, Allen & Overy and Freshfields where he was working on mergers and acquisitions.  Because of his visual impairment, Feargus had to develop hacks in the software he used, like custom keyboard shortcuts, to get his job done. He met his Definely co-founder, Nnamdi Emelifeonwu, at Freshfields when the two of them were working on the same deal. As Feargus explains it, his soon to be co-founder was the first colleague that actually took an interest in how Feargus accomplished his work and marveled that he was getting it done.  The two figured there had to be a better way for Feargus to work on contracts, but the duo figured out pretty quickly there really wasn’t and Definely was born. Definely is a suite of tools that helps lawyers accomplish the tedious tasks relating to the drafting of contracts. As the company describes it, they create legal tech solutions to free lawyers from frustrating, repetitive tasks, so they can get back to the work that matters.

Katherine Porter, a former lawyer turned consultant, founded Resourceful Lawyer to enhance legal teams' efficiency using project management techniques. In this discussion, she shares her journey, emphasizing the importance of design thinking in legal practices. Katherine highlights the need for lawyers to understand client perspectives, and offers practical advice on workflow mapping. She stresses that empathy is crucial for creating effective legal services, and provides actionable tips for integrating project management principles into everyday legal work.

As we close out 2023, we are replaying some of our most listened to episodes. Not surprisingly, AI was the hot topic this year and as its acceptance grows, so to tough questions, like whether AI developers need permission to use copyrighted works and other IP before using it to train artificial intelligence? In a very popular episode, Professor Mark Lemley of Stanford explained whey he does not think so because he believes that copyrighted works used to train AI fall should under the fair use exception to copyright law. Professor Lemley is the Director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science and Technology, an author of seven books and more than 130 articles on intellectual property, antitrust and related areas of the law. He is also a co-founder of Lex Machina and most recently of Counsel to Lex Lumina, a boutique IP law firm. Professor Lemley argues that AI companies should be permitted to use copyrighted works to train AI models without first getting permission from owners because of the benefits AI will yield and the impossibility of tracking down millions of copyright owners to get permission. He also believes that it is a fair use for AI developers to use works protected by intellectual property laws to train artificial intelligence models because such a use is transformative and the more data available to the AI, the more accurate it will be.

Nathan Walter, founder of Briefpoint, discusses how his company is using AI to automate legal drafting tasks. They explore the time-consuming nature of copying and pasting from prior work and the potential of generative AI to eliminate typing in litigation. They also discuss the benefits of automation tools in litigation, finding a co-founder through a video game community, and the concept of law as a fractal. Overall, the podcast highlights the potential of AI in reducing legal fees and freeing up lawyers to focus on more complex tasks.

Zach Abramowitz, founder of Killer Whale Strategies, shares his insights on how generative AI, particularly platforms like ChatGPT, could revolutionize the legal tech landscape. With a rich background in law and tech, he believes this technology may drive quicker adoption in legal practices. The discussion covers enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and the potential disruption of traditional legal models. Zach also reflects on the challenges faced by firms in embracing innovation and the societal impacts of AI on legal processes.