The Legalpreneurs Sandbox

In many respects, generative AI has impacted few roles as directly as legal operations. These professionals sit at the epicentre of tech experimentation, deployment, adoption, evaluation and change. As the tech has evolved, so too has their role to right now, being part tech interpreter, teacher, multidisciplinary relationship builder, enterprise-wide and legal function collaborator, and connector. That’s been layered into what they have always done, practical problem solving to ensure the legal department responds to organisational needs with timely, measured, candid and practical solutions for the day-to-day business at hand. With GenAI, some of the problems are new and/or have become more complex. Solutions have had to evolve as the tech has evolved at an unprecedented pace, scale, and level of pervasive impact not seen before. And, old issues have also remained and have changed too like corporate responsibilities for data governance, privacy, ethics, cybersecurity, all culminating in an expanding portfolio of compliance and risk management. We discussed all of this and much more with CLOC Australia’s co-leads: Katrina Gowans, Legal Operations Professional; Anna Golovsky, Executive Manager Legal and Company Secretariat Operations, IAG; and Matt Duncan, Legal Operations, Australian Retirement Trust. In addition to their thoughts on the topics above, their passion for their work and for the community that CLOC has created globally and locally was clear. In their view the big impact of GenAI on the legal ops role is one of expansion – more opportunities to support, assist, and connect legal to what is happening in our ecosystem but also to the critical and changing role of legal departments within their own companies. There is a discernible opportunity, identified in this discussion, for digitally literate professionals with human skills in influencing, persuasion, adaptability, flexibility, relationship building and more than anything else, curiosity, to join and enhance a career in legal ops. We concluded our chat with a preview of what those curious professionals can expect from two CLOC Australia amazing events in Sydney in August 2025: CLOC Academy (19 August) for new and immediate next level legal ops professionals – you’ll find registration details here; and  CLOC Australia Summit 2025 (20 August) for everyone interested and working in legal ops – you’ll find registration details here. If you want a glimpse into how GenAI is impacting legal ops today and in the future, you’ll want to spend a little time listening to this podcast or watching the video – 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.

Prompt engineering has captured our interest, been at the core of our frustration and continues to find its way into our new way of working in the post ChatGPT era. But like the tech it is so integrally tied to, generative AI, knowing you need to be good at prompting is not the same as being good at it – it requires context, application, refinement and education at a pace, scale and continuous engagement like we have never seen before. The Centre for Legal innovation launched its Distinguished Fellowship in Emerging Technologies with this in mind. Our Fellow, Dr. Mitchell Adams, Senior Lecturer, Swinburne Law School, focussed his highly successful Fellowship on legal prompt engineering and, through the many discussions, clinics, research and significant amount of work that followed, collected together the learnings and experience sharing in an amazing publication – a comprehensive, free Legal Prompt Engineering Guide. In this session, we spoke with Mitchell about his Fellowship: what he learned; the impact of the tech on the legal industry; how prompting has changed the way we work…forever; and how he is incorporating all of this into his work as a legal educator. It’s a journey best undertaken as part of an ever and rapidly evolving global community of generative AI fans who understand the strengths and limitations of the tech, but also know that what is coming next, is already in the pipeline! This is a Spotlight not to be missed! You’ll find your free copy of the Legal Prompt Engineering Guide ready for download here. 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.

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.