LawDroid Manifesto Podcast

In this powerful episode, I interview Jim Sandman—President Emeritus of Legal Services Corporation and current Penn Law faculty member—about his extraordinary journey from 30 years in big law to becoming one of the most influential voices in access to justice.Jim shares the formative experiences that shaped his path, from his parents' emphasis on service to early pro bono work defending Vista volunteers, to an unexpected role as general counsel of D.C. Public Schools that would prepare him for leading the nation's largest civil legal aid funder.Most importantly, Jim reveals why he believes artificial intelligence represents the greatest opportunity he's seen to expand access to justice—not just by making legal aid organizations more efficient, but ultimately by putting the law directly in people's hands in clear, comprehensible terms.This episode offers invaluable insights on leadership, finding your calling later in career, achieving work-life balance, and the multi-pronged approach needed to truly democratize legal services. Whether you're interested in legal technology, access to justice, or simply how to build a meaningful career in law, Jim's story will inspire and inform.Learn more about the future of legal innovation at www.lawdroidmanifesto.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com/subscribe

Join host Tom Martin for an illuminating conversation with Brian Liu, founder of LegalZoom and one of the most influential figures in legal technology history. In this episode, Brian shares his journey from creating a company that democratized legal services for millions to his current ventures addressing ongoing gaps in legal access.Brian discusses Elm Tree Law, inspired by his own frustrating experience trying to get estate planning help for his parents, which focuses on making lawyer-prepared living trusts more approachable and user-friendly. He also explains Overture Law, a vetted referral network helping solo practitioners serve clients across jurisdictions in an increasingly complex legal landscape.What sets this episode apart is Brian's refreshingly optimistic perspective on AI's role in law. While many predict fewer lawyers, Brian argues there may actually be more—freed by AI to focus on the human relationships and trust that remain essential to legal practice. He reminds us that behind every legal document is someone's dream, and that understanding this human element is what truly drives transformation in legal services.Discover practical insights on building legal technology that expands access to justice while keeping human needs at the center. For exclusive content and deeper insights from legal innovators like Brian, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com to join our community of legal rebels transforming the profession. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com/subscribe

Dorna Moini didn't set out to build legal tech infrastructure—she started by trying to automate forms for legal aid organizations. That practical approach led her to create Gavel, the platform now powering major legal tech companies and enabling lawyers to transform traditional practices into scalable legal products.In this episode, Dorna shares her journey from big law to building technology that serves as the backbone for companies like Hello Divorce and Just Tech. She reveals how lawyers are using Gavel to work from anywhere while serving more clients, why specialization beats generalization in building a career, and how her latest AI innovation helps lawyers draft better contracts by learning from their firm's institutional knowledge. With over 100 law schools using Gavel and legal aid organizations scaling their impact, Dorna's story shows how solving real problems leads to transformative technology.Learn how automation is democratizing legal services and discover practical strategies for building in legal tech at www.lawdroidmanifesto.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com/subscribe

In this compelling episode, Tom Martin interviews Greg Siskind, founding partner at Siskind Susser and creator of VisaLaw.ai, about his remarkable three-decade journey in immigration law. Greg shares how he nearly left the legal profession before discovering immigration law, which he found fascinating due to its deep connection to American history. He discusses his current work challenging a $100,000 H-1B tariff affecting everyone from tech workers to rural teachers and priests, demonstrating the real-world impact of immigration policy.Greg reveals his synergistic approach to building multiple successful ventures simultaneously—from practicing law to authoring eight books to creating award-winning AI tools. He explains how his 4,000-page AILA practice manual became the foundation for VisaLaw.ai and shares practical strategies for managing diverse responsibilities by finding ways each project reinforces the others.This episode offers valuable insights for lawyers interested in building multifaceted careers that combine practice, innovation, and advocacy. Discover how Greg leverages technology and delegation to stay at the forefront of a rapidly evolving field while maintaining his passion for helping immigrants achieve their American dream.For more in-depth legal innovation content and exclusive interviews with leading legal tech pioneers, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com/subscribe

In this episode, I interview Ted Theodoropoulos, CEO of InfoDash and 2024 ILTA Innovative Leader of the Year, about his 32-year entrepreneurial journey and his unique approach to building legal technology that lawyers actually appreciate using.Ted shares how InfoDash evolved from Acrowire's bespoke consulting work into an integrated intranet platform that eliminates the "toggling tax"—the 9% of time information workers lose switching between applications. He discusses his practice of dedicating 30 minutes each morning to pure thinking time, which has generated breakthrough insights for his company.We explore why Ted believes the legal market will transform completely within three to five years, how AI integration through existing infrastructure will accelerate this change, and why he's committed to building a company where innovation thrives rather than dies. His perspective on sustainable entrepreneurship, customer success, and creating meaningful work offers valuable lessons for anyone in legal technology.Discover practical approaches to legal innovation and learn why dedicated thinking time might be the most productive part of your day. Explore more insights and join our community of legal innovators at www.lawdroidmanifesto.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com/subscribe

Ransom Widener, VP of Partnerships at 650, reveals how AI is simultaneously disrupting commercial tech and democratizing access to justice. Learn why commoditization of AI capabilities creates both challenges and opportunities, how to build meaningful work that lasts beyond your lifetime, and practical approaches to work-life balance that actually work. Ransom's unique perspective bridging HR tech innovation and legal access initiatives offers essential insights for anyone navigating technology's role in delivering justice. Discover the strategies that matter when everyone has access to the same AI tools and why disconnecting is essential for sustained innovation. For deeper insights and exclusive content, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com/subscribe

In this episode, I sit down with Laura Bingenheimer and Avinash Nair, co-founders of Magnet Agents, an AI-powered client acquisition platform transforming how lawyers approach business development. Laura shares insights from seven years in legal tech sales, while Avinash explains how AI coding tools enabled him to build sophisticated features as a solo developer. They reveal how their platform serves lawyers across all firm sizes—from large firm BD professionals to partners building practice groups—and why lawyers are finally embracing practical AI implementations. Learn about their customer-centric approach, their complementary journeys from Columbia Law School to legal tech entrepreneurship, and their vision for systematizing client acquisition. Discover why this moment represents a fundamental shift in legal technology adoption and how small teams leveraging AI can build solutions that compete with established players. For deeper insights and exclusive content on legal innovation, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com/subscribe

Colin LaChance, principal consultant at PGYA and co-founder of LawKey, shares his journey from running CanLII to democratizing AI education for lawyers. After leading Canada's most-used legal research platform and founding multiple legal tech ventures, Colin now focuses on ensuring hundreds of thousands of solo and small firm lawyers aren't left behind in the AI transformation. He reveals how LawKey uses AI to teach lawyers about AI through hands-on learning, deployable to bar associations for as little as one dollar per member annually. Colin emphasizes that this moment requires transformational change, not just technology adoption. Learn more at www.lawdroidmanifesto.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com/subscribe

Bradley Collins transformed from working on a building site to creating Legal Tech Talk, which grew to 3,100 attendees in just two years. His outsider's perspective on legal innovation offers powerful insights for anyone building something new or driving change. Bradley shares how he convinced global managing partners, chief legal officers, and tech founders to take a chance on a completely new event, why storytelling matters more than numbers, and how the legal industry's pattern of "no firm wants to be first, but nobody wants to be last" shapes adoption. Learn the mindset shifts that enabled extraordinary growth and discover why focusing on positive impact creates sustainable success.For more episodes and insights on legal innovation, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com/subscribe

Join Tom Martin as he interviews Jordan Couch, partner at Palace Law, about Washington State's groundbreaking entity-based licensing pilot program. After seven years of regulatory reform work, Jordan reveals how persistence and collaboration transformed an outdated UPL framework into an experimental system that invites innovation. Learn why 85% of people with legal needs go unserved, how Baumol's cost disease explains why legal services cost more while lawyers earn less, and why regulatory innovation represents opportunity rather than threat. Discover practical insights on access to justice, the economics of legal services, and what happens when passion drives meaningful systemic change. Visit lawdroidmanifesto.com for more episodes and exclusive content. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com/subscribe