AI and the Future of Law

What happens when a top litigation firm lets lawyers truly experiment with AI? In this episode, Jen and Bridget sit down with Jen Reeves and Chris Kercher of Quinn Emanuel to explore how one of the world’s top law firms is embracing AI from the inside out. From launching a grassroots Skunk Works group to using Claude and ChatGPT in high-stakes litigation, they share how culture, leadership, and cu...

What happens when the apprenticeship model breaks? In this episode, Jen and Bridget explore how AI is reshaping legal education and associate training, from the classroom to the law firm. Sparked by a conversation by Wharton professor Ethan Mollick, the hosts ask: If the old model of learning-by-osmosis no longer works, what comes next?  Episode Highlights (3:07) Bridget’s latest AI Aha!: P r...

In Episode 27, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack kick off a new chapter with a fresh name — AI and the Future of Law — and a new presenting partnership with the Practising Law Institute (PLI), in collaboration with the American Arbitration Association. The rebrand reflects their evolving mission while keeping the heart of the podcast intact: accessible, thought-provoking insights on how AI i...

What does it mean when AI outperforms law students? In this episode, Jen and Bridget explore a groundbreaking study showing that OpenAI’s latest model, O3, earned A+ grades on actual law school finals — outperforming top students in multiple subjects. But that’s just one part of the story. Episode Highlights (3:02) Bridget’s latest “AI Aha!” — using ChatGPT to design and facilitate a 300-person wo...

Episode Highlights (03:27) Bridget’s AI Aha: Building “Bridget’s Second Brain” using ChatGPT and Microsoft tools (11:05) Jen’s AI Aha: AI itineraries, sci-fi style research, and nail polish via ChatGPT (17:30) What Just Happened: The firehose of announcements from Google I/O (24:28) Claude Opus 4 and the “grown, not built” philosophy at Anthropic (37:59) Microsoft’s AI plumbing: Connecting court s...

In this episode of 2030 Vision , Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore OpenAI’s surprising executive reshuffle, Google's declining grip on search to the UK’s official authorization of Garfield Law, the first an AI-native law firm. Jen and Bridget analyze the implications of Garfield AI's regulatory approval, the practical limits of paraprofessional models in the U.S., and how agile regulation...

In this episode, Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard explore a mind-bending new study where AI bots outperformed humans in changing people’s minds on Reddit — by a long shot. What does this mean for the legal profession, where persuasion is core to the craft? From evaluating reasoning-first models like OpenAI’s new o3 and Google’s Gemini 2.5, to watching AI walk through logic, fix math errors, and e...

Is it possible that not using AI could soon be seen as unethical for lawyers? Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard dive into two recent Georgia cases where savvy use of AI helped lawyers win major verdicts and why these examples could signal a turning point in professional responsibility. Along the way, Bridget shares her AI "aha" moment with ChatGPT acting as a woods guide (and porcupine expert), wh...

What happens when AI performs on par with lawyers—and even beats them at key tasks? Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard explore the implications of the VAL benchmarking report, which compares top legal AI tools to real-life attorneys on real-world tasks. They also break down new research from Wharton’s Ethan Mollick on “cybernetic teammates”—and what it means when AI tools boost not just productivit...

In this special Legal Week edition of 2030 Vision , co-hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack reunite in person to unveil a groundbreaking new online course built to help legal professionals lead through AI-driven change. Designed for law firm leaders, individual lawyers, and legal organizations of all sizes, the course offers actionable frameworks for navigating disruption with confidence and cl...

In this episode of 2030 Vision , Jennifer Leonard and Bridget McCormack dive into the evolving landscape of AI in the legal profession. They share personal experiences with AI tools, discuss the latest advancements in AI models, and explore the implications of artificial general intelligence (AGI). The conversation touches on the future of legal education, the skills that will define the next gene...

In this episode of 2030 Vision: AI and the Future of Law , Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard break down two major AI stories shaking up the legal industry: Elon Musk’s unsolicited $97.4 billion bid to buy OpenAI and the landmark Thomson Reuters v. Ross AI case, which sets a critical precedent for AI training data and copyright law. They also explore OpenAI’s new Deep Research tool , which is revol...

In this episode of 2030 Vision: AI and the Future of Law , Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard explore how AI is reshaping legal access, communication, and decision-making. They discuss OpenAI’s Deep Research tool and DeepSeq’s disruptive AI model, which could democratize AI and challenge big tech. Beyond law, they examine AI’s growing role in healthcare and education, while emphasizing that human e...

In this episode of 2030 Vision: AI and the Future of Law , Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the legal job market and what law firms must do to stay competitive. They dive into the World Economic Forum’s Jobs Report 2025 and the Thomson Reuters & Georgetown Report on the State of the Legal Market , breaking down the key findings and their implic...

In this episode of 2030 Vision: AI and the Future of Law , Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard explore how generative AI is revolutionizing legal practice. They discuss major December 2024 advancements like OpenAI’s "12 Days of Shipmas," Google’s Gemini 2.0, and Amazon’s Nova Suite. From fine-tuning AI models for legal use to integrating tools like Deep Research, this episode highlights how AI is st...

In this episode of 2030 Vision: AI and the Future of Law , hosts Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard explore how generative AI is transforming legal and regulatory landscapes, focusing on two compelling examples: insights from the HBR article "Gen AI Makes Legal Action Cheap, and Companies Need to Prepare" and Adam Unikowski’s analysis of NEPA’s environmental impact statement process. They begin wit...

In this episode of 2030 Vision: AI and the Future of Law , hosts Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard unpack groundbreaking insights from a JAMA study that compares the diagnostic capabilities of ChatGPT with human doctors. Drawing compelling parallels to the legal profession, they explore how generative AI could reshape legal research, improve efficiency, and challenge long-standing notions of profe...

In this episode of 2030 Vision: AI and the Future of Law , Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack delve into the evolving role of AI in the legal profession, particularly its impact on gender disparities. The discussion covers personal experiences with generative AI, concepts like tech accelerationism and effective altruism, and how these ideas intersect with the legal field. The episode highlights the...

In this episode of 2030 Vision , Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack delve into the transformative power of AI in justice and governance. Drawing from Dario Amodei’s visionary essay Machines of Love and Grace and Adam Unikowsky’s practical experiments with generative AI, they discuss how powerful AI is reshaping legal processes, reducing bias, and enhancing creativity. The conversation explores AI’s...

In this episode of 2030 Vision , Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack discuss the latest advancements at the intersection of AI and the legal profession . They break down key concepts like red teaming to enhance AI security and the human-in-the-loop approach that ensures AI serves as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement. The conversation explores two transformative AI tools— Google Notebook...

In this episode of 2030 Vision , Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore the profound impact of AI on legal education. They break down essential AI-related terms including AI Washing & Context Window, share personal "AI Aha!" moments, and discuss how generative AI is reshaping law schools and the legal profession. They delve into the challenges law schools face in integrating technology, the...

In this episode of 2030 Vision: AI and the Future of Law , hosts Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard explore the latest advancements in artificial intelligence with a focus on OpenAI’s new "Strawberry" model o1. They discuss how this model revolutionizes reasoning processes, its implications for the legal industry, and how it compares to existing AI tools. Along the way, they share real-world applic...

In this episode of 2030 Vision , Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore the evolving role of artificial intelligence in the legal profession. The conversation dives into the American Bar Association's (ABA) formal opinion on generative AI, addressing key ethical concerns and the varying approaches taken by state bar associations. They discuss the importance of understanding AI's capabilities, t...

In Episode 6, Bridget & Jen dive into "The Future of Generative AI in the Court System & The Importance of Transparency." Join them as they explore how generative AI can revolutionize the judicial system by assisting in drafting opinions, generating ideas, and proposing alternative solutions to legal challenges. Bridget & Jen break down key terms such as alignment and attention mechani...

In this episode, Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard explore the transformative impact of generative AI on the court system. Drawing from their personal experiences, they discuss how generative AI has influenced their legal research and even their triathlon training plans. The episode unpacks the concepts of Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and the balance between precision and imprecision in ge...