Pioneers and Pathfinders

This week, we're joined by Nicole Morris, professor of practice at Emory University School of Law, director of the Innovation and Legal Tech Initiative, and director of the TI:GER program. Nicole has had a fascinating, multifaceted career journey. After working as a chemical engineer for several years, she decided to go to law school. She then became a patent attorney at large and midsize law firm...

With this episode, we mark the third anniversary of Pioneers and Pathfinders.  Nothing could mark this milestone better than to welcome back a thought leader in the legal profession and legal education, Cat Moon, lecturer and Director of Innovation Design at Vanderbilt University Law School. Since Cat last joined us on the podcast, she has co-founded VAILL, the Vanderbilt AI + Law Lab, which she a...

Our guest today is Zack DeMeola, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), a not-for-profit organization with the goal of advancing law and justice by promoting access, equity, and fairness in law school admission and supporting learning journeys from prelaw through practice. A former corporate litigation attorney, Zack left practice after several years t...

This week, we're joined by Maya Markovich, Justice Tech Executive in Residence at Village Capital and co-founder and executive director at the Justice Technology Association. Maya started her career journey in change management consulting for tech, then became a practicing lawyer. Having a deep interest in the possibilities of technology in the legal profession, she went on to work in legal tech p...

Today’s guest is reimagining the way legal professionals work as we explore new frontiers in technology. We’re speaking with Ilona Logvinova of McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. Ilona is managing counsel for McKinsey Digital and Head of Innovation for McKinsey Legal. After working as a corporate lawyer for several years, and working in-house at Mastercard, she joined McKinse...

Our guest today is Sarah Glassmeyer, Director of Data Curation at LegalTechnology Hub. Sarah has worked in various roles as a problem-solver in the legal community. For several years, she was a law librarian at universities around the US. Since then, she has worked as Director of Content Development at the Center for Computer Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI), as a research fellow at Harvard’s Lib...

This week, we welcome Victor Li, Assistant Managing Editor at the ABA Journal. After working as the Assistant District Attorney at the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office, Victor decided to explore a new path—one in journalism. For several years, he was a reporter on various legal industry subjects at The American Lawyer and Law Technology News (now known as Legaltech News). He went on to join...

Today’s guest is Ashley Carlisle, chief marketing officer and founding team member at HyperDraft, a legal automation platform that helps legal departments and corporations digitize legacy documentation processes with AI-powered document and workflow automation solutions. Ashley was a corporate attorney at Goodwin when she met HyperDraft founder Tony Thai—a prior guest on the podcast—and decided to...

Our guest this week is a leading voice on the future of legal education and law practice. Andrew Perlman is Dean at Suffolk University Law School, and has been a professor there since 2001. Before entering academia, Dean Perlman was a litigator with a lifelong fascination with innovation and technology. He has served several important functions in the American Bar Association, and was recently app...

Today we are joined by Flo Nicolas, a self-described “nonboring lawyer.” Flo is co-founder and chief operating officer at DEI Directive, a technology company helping organizations shape the future of work through inclusive and innovative practices. Flo began her career as legal counsel at various law firms and companies. She then worked in the telecommunications industry for several years. Later,...

This week, we speak with Anusia Gillespie, Chief Strategy Officer at SkillBurst Interactive, a company providing on-demand learning to Am Law 200 firms, global legal organizations, and public-sector agencies, among other clients. Anusia has both an MBA and JD from Boston College, and has worked in various functions throughout the legal ecosystem—law firm practice, academia at Harvard Law School Ex...

Today we are joined by Mary O'Carroll, a true pioneer and pathfinder in the legal industry. Mary is Chief Community Officer at Ironclad, a leading contract lifecycle management program for innovative companies. She started her career in business development and consulting before joining Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in a finance role. Her work soon transitioned into a legal operations role—a...

For our last episode of the year, we welcome Dr. Ron Dolin, chief innovation officer at ODR.com. Dr. Dolin has had a fascinating and dynamic professional journey. A math and physics major, he began his career at the high-energy physics lab CERN in Geneva. He went on to earn a PhD in computer science and became one of the first 100 employees at Google, where he worked for several years. Having a de...

This year, our virtual roundtable series has explored the implications of generative AI and natural language processing models in the legal industry. Our first roundtable covered the risks and benefits of generative AI, while the second addressed the AI technology landscape and implementation strategies. Now, in our third installment, our esteemed panel—Lorie Almon, Chair and Partner of Seyfarth S...

Our guest today is Damien Riehl, vice president and Solutions Champion at vLex, a platform using artificial intelligence solutions to streamline workflows and provide lawyers with greater access to knowledge and resources. Damien was a tech attorney for more than 10 years when he made the leap to Thomson Reuters as Senior Product Strategist, where he developed innovative legal technology involving...

Today’s guest is Julie Saltman, co-founder and CEO at Standd, a company using AI to eliminate tedious grunt work from the due diligence process. Prior to launching Standd, Julie spent more than 15 years as an attorney at the US Department of Justice, the US Copyright Office, and in private practice. Additionally, she has written articles on technological innovation and the law, and was an adjunct...

As technology has progressed, we have also seen emerging concerns for freedom of speech and privacy. Our guest today has spent the past 30 years defending individual liberties in the digital space. Cindy Cohn is the executive director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the leading nonprofit organization ensuring that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people. Sh...

Today we speak with Tara Cheever, co-founder and Chief Products Officer at LIT SOFTWARE, a company that equips lawyers with the tools to modernize their practices and enhance their presentation skills in court. Tara has been a trial presentation consultant for more than 15 years. She is an expert in presentation and legal technology, and has worked on multiple high-profile matters both in the US a...

Our guest today is Stephanie Wilkins, editor-in-chief at Legaltech News at ALM. Stephanie had been a civil litigator at big law firms in New York for a decade when she decided to pursue a different career path. Having enjoyed the writing aspect of her legal work, she decided to become a freelance writer. Stephanie soon found opportunities writing about legal tech with Above The Law, technology com...

Today’s guest is taking on the challenges of immigration law through innovative technology. Amélie Vavrovsky is the founder and CEO of Formally, a legal tech startup that uses accessible design to simplify and streamline immigration applications. The idea for the company was partly inspired by Amélie’s own immigration experience as an international student at Brown University. She started Formally...

Many legal professionals have discussed complex topics in technology and innovation in simple terms, but few have done so quite as well as today’s guest, Daniel Yi, Senior Counsel for Special Projects and Innovation at the US Department of Justice. As a disclaimer, we’d like to mention that Daniel is joining us in his personal capacity and not as a representative of the DOJ. Before serving in his...

Today’s guest is an innovation strategist and self-described “generative AI enthusiast.” Among her many roles in the legal world, Terri Mottershead is the Executive Director of the Centre for Legal Innovation at the College of Law (CLI). After several years in private practice, she transitioned into professional development and lawyer training. Terri has led or taught on practical legal education...

Today’s guest is Daniel Lewis, CEO of LegalOn Technologies, a company that uses AI to help legal teams find and fix contract risks. While a student at Stanford Law School, Daniel discovered his interest in legal tech, and soon envisioned himself going into business. Upon graduating, he founded Ravel Law, with the goal of building a better case law research experience by making use of new technology...

Today’s episode is an encore presentation of our second installment of the Pioneers and Pathfinders Virtual Roundtable Series. Last week, we hosted a live discussion with panelists spanning legal technology investing, AI-powered software development, and legal insights and strategy consulting. Our guests—Jae Um, Founder and Executive Director at Six Parsecs; Tony Thai, Chief Executive Officer and...

Today we speak with Karl Chapman, chief executive at Kim Technologies. After studying law at the University of Birmingham in England, Karl decided to go in a different direction from the lawyer path, working in finance and later starting a recruitment and training consultancy. Karl went on to found AdviserPlus Business Solutions, a leading advisory outsourcing company in the UK. AdviserPlus then c...