Reinventing Professionals

I spoke with Rebecca Stidham, a tax partner and the Law Firm Services Team Leader at Withum, Smith+Brown, PC, an accounting and advisory firm that provides tax, assurance, accounting, digital transformation, cybersecurity, and wealth management services to law firms, among other sectors. We discussed how law firm leaders can drive growth and profitability, key areas for enhancing digital transformation, and best practices for keeping up with the rapid pace of legal technology development.

I spoke with Nishat Mehta, the CEO of Lexitas, a provider of court reporting, records retrieval, process service, and legal talent solutions. We discussed how AI is impacting traditional legal services, what lawyers can do to prepare for the transition to a more AI-centric profession, the pitfalls attorneys must avoid, and future opportunities for the application of AI in legal.

I spoke with Brandon Hollinder, the Vice President of eDiscovery and Cyber Solutions at Epiq, a provider of legal and business services. We discussed the proactive steps companies should take to strengthen their information governance, how AI-driven data mapping and labeling tools are changing the way companies understand and manage their data risk, and ways that AI is affecting cybersecurity.

In this 47th episode of Charting Change in Legal, Caroline Hill, Editor and Publisher of Legal IT Insider, and I discussed Legal IT Insider's 30th anniversary, reimagining billable work, anticipating disruption, and providing value.

I spoke with John Lee, the General Counsel and Head of Strategy for Ruli, a legal AI platform for corporate law departments. We discussed how legal teams should calculate the ROI or value of a legal technology investment, the qualities buyers should consider when selecting a legal AI vendor, and ways that client expectations have changed due to advanced AI transparency, speed, and cost-efficiency.

I spoke with Karl Schieneman, a Co-Founder of TestMyWitness, which empowers witness preparation using AI. We discussed how legal teams can leverage technology to prepare witnesses to testify, and how that process is evolving.

I spoke with Anne Post, CEO of Xakia, North America, a provider of legal matter and contract management solutions. We discussed how law department leaders should approach technology adoption to maximize impact and efficiency, the biggest challenges in-house legal teams face in demonstrating value, and the most compelling opportunities for legal departments to become true strategic partners within their organizations.

Caroline Hill discusses the power of community in the legal industry, highlighting collaboration and shared experiences for collective growth. The importance of strategic idea-sharing emerges as a competitive advantage. As 2023 wraps up, the emphasis on budgeting for emerging technologies shifts the conversation about tech adoption. Insights on measuring ROI reveal the implications of generative AI on law practices. The episode also showcases a successful partnership in navigating change, underscoring the legal tech sector's role in community initiatives.

I spoke with Diane Homolak, the VP of Technology Solutions for Integreon, Sylvain Magdinier, an independent consultant specializing in legal transformation and innovation, and Gayle Gorvett, the CEO and Managing Director of GGorvett Consulting. They are all part of a workstream within RAILS that helped further the deployment and development of AI in the legal profession. We discussed how in-house counsel can use the RAILS Risk Framework to better approach AI risk assessment and governance, and ways that legal teams are managing AI risk, along with privacy and cybersecurity.

I spoke with Oyango Snell, the Executive Director of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium. We discussed the biggest challenges facing leaders in legal operations, how they can more effectively highlight their contributions to their organizations, the value of operational maturity skills, and the skills necessary for legal operations leaders to thrive.