The Legalpreneurs Sandbox

Guests Miriam Rihani, Head of Legal Operations at PwC Australia, Laura Vickers, Founding Director of Nest Legal, and Dominic Woolrych, CEO of LawPath, explore the future of law firms. They speculate on the emergence of 'lawyerless' firms by 2030 while addressing key barriers like regulation and cultural shifts. The discussion highlights the importance of human lawyers in providing emotional support, the balance between AI capabilities and legal judgment, and the evolving role of technology in delivering accessible legal services.

In this conversation, Tessa van Duyn, CEO of Moores; Gene Turner, Managing Director of LawHawk; and Melissa Lyon, Executive Director at Hive Legal, tackle the seismic shifts in legal billing due to generative AI. They discuss whether AI will supersede the billable hour model and explore alternatives like value-based pricing. Insights into the challenges and opportunities of integrating new pricing structures are shared, emphasizing a need for law firms to adapt to client demands for efficiency and transparency.

In this engaging discussion, Simon Newcomb of Clayton Utz, Dan Proietto from Lander & Rogers, and Prue Tyler of SHIFT Advisory share insights on reshaping legal practice in the AI era. They explore how AI demands new leadership and law firm structures. The trio delves into reskilling lawyers and fostering multidisciplinary teams while maintaining a human touch in client relationships. They discuss strategies to integrate AI smoothly and assess firms' maturity in adopting this technology. The conversation is a must-listen for legal professionals navigating this fast-changing landscape.

Generative AI has created a critical role for educators. Everyone is learning something new, and educators know how to make that meaningful and stick. Whether the tech is forcing us to challenge traditional mindsets, understand a new context for our work, experiment with new ways to work, or embrace different ways to collaborate with different people so we find the right solutions to new issues, educators have a pivotal role to play. In this session, we chatted with three professors in the US who took their individual experiences with generative AI, and their learnings in their respective disciplines, to create a resource and community for legal educators to learn, share, and do more with this tech – they called it The Law Profs GenAI Sandbox. Our discussion with the fabulous founders of the Sandbox: Will Monroe, Assistant Director for Instructional Technology, LSU Law Library, LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center; Tracy Norton, Assistant Professor of Law, Erick Vincent Anderson Professor, LSU Law Center; and Susan Tanner, Assistant Professor of Law, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville, was enlightening and inspiring. We kicked off with where generative AI is taking higher education; delved into how the Sandbox started and where it might go next; and concluded with benchmarking where and how educators can embrace the tech. But, what was also evident throughout the entire discussion was the joy, excitement, and passion these profs have for finding ways to use the tech so it enhances learning for students and supports their colleagues in using it effectively and efficiently too. If you are working in education and particularly legal education, you will not want to miss this one! If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here. About the Future 50 Series In the Future 50 Series we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world. If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au

In this engaging discussion, Larry Richard, Founder of LawyerBrain LLC and former lawyer-psychologist, shares insights on the unique mindset of lawyers. He explores how this mindset affects adaptability to rapid changes, particularly with AI integration. Richard addresses the psychological resistance within the legal industry and offers strategies for embracing technology through experiential learning. He emphasizes the importance of building resilience and enhancing emotional intelligence to navigate the evolving landscape of legal practice.

Courtney Blackman, Head of Partnerships at Lander & Rogers, leads AI initiatives that bridge law and technology. In this engaging conversation, she dives into the promising role of AI in legal and medical record management, highlighting innovative collaboration efforts. They discuss misconceptions about AI in law, stressing the importance of strategic implementation and upskilling. Blackman also shares what listeners can expect from the new AI-focused series, emphasizing continuous learning and community engagement in legal tech innovation.

In a fascinating discussion, Caryn Sandler, Chief Knowledge & Innovation Officer at Gilbert + Tobin, Graeme Grovum, Head of Legal Technology at Allens, and Tessa van Duyn, CEO at Moores, explore the evolution of legaltech in 2024. They highlight a shift towards embracing generative AI, emphasizing its practical applications and the need for digital literacy. The guests share insights on redefining collaboration, the growing importance of user-friendly tech, and evolving billing practices, all while maintaining the essential human touch in legal services.

Mark Williams, Founding Co-Director of the Vanderbilt AI Law Lab, shares insights from his diverse journey through journalism, law, and politics. He discusses how the AI Lab is reshaping legal education, equipping future lawyers with essential tech skills for a rapidly changing landscape. The conversation underscores the importance of digital literacy and interdisciplinary collaboration in preparing students for AI-driven legal practices. Mark highlights the need for curiosity and experimentation in embracing innovation within the legal profession.

This podcast was recorded on 22 July 2024 as the fifth session in CLI’s Legal GenAI Around the World Series. In this session Terri Mottershead, Executive Director at the Centre for Legal Innovation facilitated a discussion with three amazing panellists from Africa and the Middle East: Peter Hall, Chief Operating Officer, Cognia Law Leah Molatseli, Founder, Contract Alchemists Katie Whang, Legal Counsel, Johnson & Johnson Topics covered included: An overview of legal AI in Africa and the Middle East How, where and why GenAI is being used in legal businesses, what’s driving/limiting adoption, and the importance of metrics The focus on education, capability development, and access to talent to deliver legal GenAI solutions The changing role of tech providers and how that is impacting adoption and implementation The focus on country/region wide AI strategy, regulations, standards and policies and how this is/is not/should not be influenced by global initiatives What’s unique about the legal GenAI market in Africa + the Middle East If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here. Please join CLI’s free Legal GenAI Global Community for a lightly curated newsfeed on how legal GenAI is transforming the legal ecosystem.

In this session, we spoke with Colin Lachance, the Innovator in Residence at the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) and the Principal of law firm coaching and consulting business, PGYA Consulting. Colin has spent most of his career in the legal industry. He’s worked in publishing, consulting, and legaltech development just to name a few. In all that he has done, and it’s a lot, there’s been a consistent theme – he’s comfortable with challenging the status quo and doing things differently. He’s been named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers” by Canadian Lawyer Magazine, a “Legal Rebel” by the ABA Journal and is a member of the Fastcase 50 class of legal innovators and visionaries. Colin’s amazing background both qualifies and recommends him for his role as Innovator in Residence at the OBA. It’s a unique role for legal member organisations. It was launched in 2018. Each innovator is appointed for 12 months and pursues a different focus area, always with a change agenda. Colin’s focus area could not be more topical…it’s legal AI. His action plan is ambitious, critical, timely and compelling. It comprises a multi-pronged approach to supporting the digital literacy of OBA’s members at scale. His work will impact the 16,000 lawyers OBA represents and influence many, many more. It includes tech demos, weekly information sessions, establishing an interactive learning platform and…he is just getting started! We spoke about all of this as well as the global and local context that led to Colin’s appointment i.e., how GenAI has become an enabler for significant change in the legal world; how the pace, depth and breadth of that change is reinventing legal practice; and how it is incumbent on us all to embrace that change.  Don’t miss this spotlight, it’s going to excite and inspire you! If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here. About the Future 50 Series In the Future 50 Series we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world. If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.