The Kennedy-Mighell Report

Good lawyers are good delegators—and those lawyers shouldn’t be afraid to start delegating to their AI tools! This time on the Kennedy-Mighell Report, Dennis and Tom welcome Christian Puzder to talk about AI and good governance. Christian explains the importance of proper and effective AI use in the practice of law, emphasizing the ethical need to embrace new technology, train your firm well, and...

Today’s law students are entering a profession being reshaped by AI, making technology literacy more important than ever. What does it mean to build a legal career and professional identity in this rapidly evolving landscape? Dennis Kennedy’s students have been exploring that very question in one of his most recent classes, and he joins Tom to share what they’ve learned. Together, they examine the...

When lawyers understand the value technology brings to their lives, it becomes exponentially easier to help them adopt new tools, and the best leaders in legal will help their firms thrive with thoughtful, prudent technology on their side. Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell welcome Debbie Foster to discuss technology, leadership, and the future of the profession. Debbie shares insights from her upcomi...

Some of the lesser-known problems in our AI tools may actually pose the greatest dangers to legal professionals. Dennis and Tom take a hard look at AI shortcomings like semantic flattening, drift, marketing claims, and more to suss out the realities of these tools and the increasingly apparent need for greater human wisdom and oversight. Later, are AI-written materials already polluting future AI...

As a longtime innovator in legal business ecosystems, Anastasia Boyko has deep insights on operations, technology, and helping law firms make smart decisions that drive growth. Dennis and Tom chat with Anastasia about her strategies for assessing law firm needs, selecting tech tool solutions that truly fit, and successfully deploying technology—even for tech-averse legal professionals. In a world...

CLE sessions featuring “60 Tips in 60 Minutes” have long been a conference staple, but has this format outlived its usefulness? Sometimes they’re great fun, sometimes too-slow presenters cheat you out of the full 60, sometimes you get some info gems, and sometimes you get nebulous snippets. So, is there still enough value there? Well, as you lawyers love to say—it depends. Dennis and Tom debate th...

Dennis and Tom compare notes on their current AI projects, discussing what has recently captured their attention and which discoveries have been worth further exploration. Dennis discusses his efforts for extracting greater value (and fun!) from AI processes while avoiding the phenomenon of “AI drift”. Tom explains his work toward partnering with AI to create usable products and tools to solve eve...

AI’s rapid development has resulted in some pretty frenetic responses from the populace–lawyers included! Some have dreaded its advance, fearing losses or misuse. Others are excited by its possibilities, seeing new avenues for problem solving and growth. No matter which camp you’re in, all lawyers need to have an understanding of how AI affects legal practice and those they serve. Dennis and Tom w...

The constant growth and change in legal tech can be challenging, but learning about it in simple, relatable ways can help attorneys everywhere engage effectively. Dennis and Tom welcome Erika Pagano to discuss her perspectives on technology and innovation in the profession. Erika shares her passion for human-centric approaches to technology adoption and emphasizes the importance of developing rela...

The quality and foresight of a law firm's technology often reflect the tech competence of its leader, but that’s not how it should be! Proper tech use can and should be a part of every law firm. Dennis and Tom welcome Thomas Officer to discuss his insights on legal tech and AI for attorneys. As a former lawyer, Thomas understands legal practice needs firsthand. He discusses the landscape of modern...

Being curious and adaptable is essential for legal professionals in today’s quickly changing technology landscape. For extra-fresh tech perspectives from young attorneys, the guys welcome two of Dennis’ former students to the podcast, data privacy analyst Megan Morrison and second-year associate Laith Quasem. Their discussion covers a wide range of topics, including technology competence, their bu...

The tensions between the practice and business of law have long been a touchy subject, but lawyers must wrestle with these challenges to thrive in the profession. Dennis and Tom welcome Chantal McNaught to discuss her work at the intersection of law, business, and technology. Chantal delves into how ethics command technology use in legal practice and offers grounded, thoughtful insights on how to...

Are the guys on the verge of a major Second Brain breakthrough, hand in hand with AI? Dennis and Tom reexamine their ongoing Second Brain projects, discussing nagging questions about the efficacy of their current systems and how they plan to move forward with their personal knowledge management. Later, a listener and long-time iPhone user wonders—are Android devices actually far superior? Tom has...

Dennis and Tom continue their proud tradition of pondering the panorama of timely tech happenings and sharing personal resolutions for learning and development. But first, they both take a look at last year’s goals to gauge their progress (or, ahem, lack thereof). As for new resolutions—from investigative AI problem solving to streamlined tech tool usage to open-sourced writing to content creation...

Another year gone! With 2025 rapidly bidding us adieu, Dennis, Tom, and their good pal Debbie Foster send us off with their annual Kennedy-Mighell edition of Pardon the Interruption. They argue different sides of popular tech topics in “Toss-Up”,  play legal tech Mad Libs in “What’s the Word?”, and take the temp on 2025 trends in “Hot or Not?”. And, we know the question on everyone’s minds—Can Tom...

Many are relying heavily on genAI to create their content—whether it be emails, marketing copy, social posts, or a seeming myriad of other applications. But, is this overreliance and lack of human creativity a sprint toward mediocrity? Dennis and Tom discuss the slippery slope of AI content creation, emphasizing the risk of sub-quality work and exploring possible legal issues that could arise from...

What if you had an AI that not only assisted you, but acted as a highly trained source of strategic support in your day-to-day work? Dennis and Tom explore the idea of creating an AI Chief of Staff that could function in an organizational or advisory role. They share their experimental approach, walk through their methods for developing and training the AI to work for them, and discuss the challen...

AI, GenAI, agentic AI—what’s the difference between these forms of artificial intelligence? Dennis and Tom welcome Mary Mack of EDRM to talk through the latest in AI developments and how they are impacting legal in multitudinous ways. Mary also shares how her unique career blend of IT and law came about and offers her unique perspective on the opportunities in today’s market for technology careers...

When teaching technology, empathy and patience are key to helping the learner engage and understand tech’s necessary role in legal practice. Dennis and Tom talk with Michael Kraft about his many years in IT service to legal professionals. They discuss practical methods for encouraging tech competence, favorite tools for collaboration, recent legal tech trends, AI, and much more. Michael also share...

AI is disrupting every facet of the law, and understanding how to engage with AI technologies is essential for all attorneys and law students. Dennis and Tom talk with April Dawson about her experience researching and teaching about ethical, effective AI uses in the legal world while preserving vital learning skills for law students. They discuss AI challenges in law schools, AI governance conside...

Is true technology competence possible? The speed at which technology advances is now impossible to stay completely ahead of, but as lawyers, a commitment to lifelong learning and a focus on the humanistic side of law can help us engage effectively. Dennis and Tom talk with Marc Lauristen about his work with legal technology, lawyers, and law students. They talk through the challenges and opportun...

Debbie Foster hosts this edition of the Kennedy-Mighel Report to talk with Dennis and Tom about their 19 years and 400 episodes of podcasting! They talk through the past, present, and future of the podcast, discussing how they’ve remained in the space for so long, cringy and favorite moments from podcasts past, and what they’ve learned over many years together. They also talk about their future pl...

Are the guys on the verge of a major Second Brain breakthrough, hand in hand with AI? Dennis and Tom reexamine their ongoing Second Brain projects, discussing nagging questions about the efficacy of their current systems and how they plan to move forward with their personal knowledge management.  Later, a listener and long-time iPhone user wonders—are Android devices actually far superior? Tom has...

Is AI the technology that will finally force lawyer tech competence? With rapid advances and the ability to address numerous problems and pain points in our legal systems, AI simply can’t be ignored. Dennis & Tom welcome Bridget McCormack to discuss her perspectives on current AI trends and other exciting new tech applications in legal spaces. Bridget also talks us through her fascinating career p...

What we do as lawyers and judges is deeply human and deeply connected to our communities—so how does technology fit into that perspective? Dennis and Tom welcome Bridgette Carr to share her insights on technology training, AI, and the use of modern tools to solve legal problems and bolster the communities we serve. Drawing from her work with law students and clinical research, Bridgette explores t...