Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Legalpreneurs Sandbox

This podcast was recorded on 5 February 2025, as the inaugural session in CLI’s Lex ExploreAI Series.

In this session  host Courtney Blackman, Head of Partnerships and Program Director of the LawTech Hub & AI Clinical Placements at Lander & Rogers joined Terri Mottershead, Executive Director of the Centre for Legal Innovation to discuss:

• The state of legal AI
• The work being done in AI at Lander & Rogers
• What you can expect from this series in 2025

You’ll find details about the other sessions in this series here.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

Want to keep the legal AI fires burning? Please join CLI’s Legal Generative AI Global Community here for a free, lightly curated daily news feed on all things legal GenAI.

We’re back for our sixth year and what a year it has been for legaltech, AI and innovation!

If 2023 was the year to figure out what generative AI was all about, then 2024 was most definitely the year for pilots, experimentation, and strategies for data and AI. Well, that was how it went for some, but not everyone…

In this, our annual year in review, we discussed what happened and where the dust settled in 2024 with Caryn Sandler, Partner and Chief Knowledge & Innovation Officer at Gilbert + Tobin and Co-chair of the CLI Advisory Board; Graeme Grovum, Head of Legal Technology and Client Services at Allens and Host of CLI’s Legal Ops Clinic in 2024; and Tessa van Duyn, CEO and Practice Leader at Moores and member of the CLI Advisory Board.

We started this session by discussing the discernible shift in mindset during 2024 from questioning if the legal industry should engage with generative AI, to embracing it as well as understanding and learning how to manage its issues – we collectively reached a new level of AI maturity! 

As we dug deeper on impacts, we identified some key changes enabled by AI, particularly generative AI, to the business and practice of law this year, including:

• Non-negotiable “must haves” for the tech – easy to use, convenient, clearly identifiable benefits.
• New levels of tech engagement – GenAI creates a space where “personal life meets professional life” and consequently its uptake has been faster and at an unprecedented scale. 
• Redefining collaboration – different partnerships, different interactions, different client engagements, emerging coalitions of competitors working and learning together, all focused on building a strong legal ecosystem that delivers on the potential, promises, and opportunities of generative AI but also knows how to manage its challenges.
• Redefining legal work - from conception to delivery and everything in between.
• Redefining value – what matters most, authenticity or efficiency and, are they the only choices? Where does pricing and billing by the hour fit into all of this?
• Redefining capabilities for practice – meeting people where they are so they can work out where they need to go together and individually.
• Redefining metrics – are we measuring impact or use or something else? Are metrics the same for this tech for all its uses? We need to know if the investment in the tech is moving us forward, or not, but it may be well into 2025 before we work this one out.
• Redefining employment and workforce – employees are now in search of digitally enabled employers and employers in search of digitally and data literate employees. Is going to a law firm or legal department that is not tech-enabled now a career-limiting move? What will that do to the legal workforce?
• Embracing capabilities where you find them, not where you expect them – making the tech available to everyone can result in an expansion of roles, new roles, and uncovering tech-related capabilities that enhance careers and your workforce where they may have otherwise remained hidden.
• Understanding that the pace and scale of change is now a constant and must be proactively managed. We need to understand the human consequence of this i.e., unparalleled change fatigue and the need to focus on human wellbeing more than ever before.

And, Graeme demonstrated his interactive avatar too – we all want him to build us one!

We wrapped with what will come next in 2025. Will ops teams lead the way? Will our humanity and creativity be best explored through play? Will a growing sophistication in how we use GenAI, especially by clients, reinvent the B2B, B2C and D2C markets?

Thank you sooooo much Caryn, Graeme and Tessa – this is a session we look forward to every year and we’re certain you will too – don’t miss this one! 

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series, we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

In this session, we spoke with Mark Williams, a Founding Co-Director of the Vanderbilt AI Law Lab (VAILL) and a Professor of the Practice of Law at the AIGP.

Mark has come to AI via journalism, law, sometime in the political world and knowledge management. In many respects, his work now draws on that rich professional and personal life experience.

Today, Mark is deeply immersed in working with and educating future generations of lawyers through the AI Law Lab. The Lab is a hands-on, multidisciplinary, experiential learning opportunity at Vanderbilt Law School (VLS).

The VLS AI Law Lab is preparing law graduates for the next generation of legal practice and leadership. It’s modelling a different way of teaching and learning in partnership with industry - one that is comfortable with experimentation and supports students in understanding the tech, its limitations and opportunities, from the ground up.

VLS’s has a long history in transformative legal education, especially in the tech/AI space. We chatted with Mark about that too i.e., what drives VLS’s leadership, mindset, and comfort with embracing new, different, and supporting their graduates to do that too…their secret sauce!

We wrapped this conversation by discussing the broader impact of AI education in the legal industry - the importance of digital and data literacy and, if we have arrived, or still edging towards, a different type of legal practice. 

Don’t miss this spotlight, if you haven’t engaged with AI before now, this will be your catalyst to start your journey today!

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

This podcast was recorded on 22 July 2024 as the fifth session in CLI’s Legal GenAI Around the World Series.

In this session Terri Mottershead, Executive Director at the Centre for Legal Innovation facilitated a discussion with three amazing panellists from Africa and the Middle East:

• Peter Hall, Chief Operating Officer, Cognia Law
• Leah Molatseli, Founder, Contract Alchemists
• Katie Whang, Legal Counsel, Johnson & Johnson

Topics covered included:

• An overview of legal AI in Africa and the Middle East
• How, where and why GenAI is being used in legal businesses, what’s driving/limiting adoption, and the importance of metrics
• The focus on education, capability development, and access to talent to deliver legal GenAI solutions
• The changing role of tech providers and how that is impacting adoption and implementation
• The focus on country/region wide AI strategy, regulations, standards and policies and how this is/is not/should not be influenced by global initiatives
• What’s unique about the legal GenAI market in Africa + the Middle East

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

Please join CLI’s free Legal GenAI Global Community for a lightly curated newsfeed on how legal GenAI is transforming the legal ecosystem.

In this session, we spoke with Colin Lachance, the Innovator in Residence at the Ontario Bar Association (OBA) and the Principal of law firm coaching and consulting business, PGYA Consulting.

Colin has spent most of his career in the legal industry. He’s worked in publishing, consulting, and legaltech development just to name a few. In all that he has done, and it’s a lot, there’s been a consistent theme – he’s comfortable with challenging the status quo and doing things differently.

He’s been named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers” by Canadian Lawyer Magazine, a “Legal Rebel” by the ABA Journal and is a member of the Fastcase 50 class of legal innovators and visionaries.

Colin’s amazing background both qualifies and recommends him for his role as Innovator in Residence at the OBA. It’s a unique role for legal member organisations. It was launched in 2018. Each innovator is appointed for 12 months and pursues a different focus area, always with a change agenda.

Colin’s focus area could not be more topical…it’s legal AI. His action plan is ambitious, critical, timely and compelling. It comprises a multi-pronged approach to supporting the digital literacy of OBA’s members at scale. His work will impact the 16,000 lawyers OBA represents and influence many, many more. It includes tech demos, weekly information sessions, establishing an interactive learning platform and…he is just getting started!

We spoke about all of this as well as the global and local context that led to Colin’s appointment i.e., how GenAI has become an enabler for significant change in the legal world; how the pace, depth and breadth of that change is reinventing legal practice; and how it is incumbent on us all to embrace that change. 

Don’t miss this spotlight, it’s going to excite and inspire you!

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

This podcast was recorded on 18 June 2024 as the fourth session in CLI’s Legal GenAI Around the World Series.

In this session Terri Mottershead, Executive Director at the Centre for Legal Innovation facilitated a discussion with four amazing panellists from Europe and the UK:

• Giulio Coraggio, Partner – Location Head of Italian Intellectual Property and Technology Department, DLA Piper
• Uwais Iqbal, Founder, simplexico
• Tanja Podinic, Global Legal Gen AI Lead, PwC
• Tara Waters, Partner & Chief Digital Officer, Ashurst

Topics covered included:

• How, where and why GenAI is being used in legal businesses and what’s driving/limiting adoption
• LLMs, the impact of RAGs, and the case for/against the decision to build or buy
• What capabilities are needed to deliver legal GenAI solutions today, tomorrow, and how to bridge the gaps
• What’s unique about the legal GenAI market in Europe + UK
• How legal GenAI is likely to evolve in 2024

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

Please join CLI’s free Legal GenAI Global Community for a lightly curated newsfeed on how legal GenAI is transforming the legal ecosystem.

This podcast was recorded on 29 May 2024 as the third session in CLI’s Legal GenAI Around the World Series.

In this session Terri Mottershead, Executive Director at the Centre for Legal Innovation facilitated a discussion with three amazing panellists from the USA:

• Wendy Butler Curtis, Chief Innovation Officer and Chair eDiscovery & Information Governance Group, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
• Nikki Shaver, CEO and Co-Founder, LegalTechnology Hub
• Horace Wu, Founder and CEO, Syntheia Pty Ltd

Topics covered included:

• How, where and why GenAI is being used in legal businesses and what’s driving/limiting adoption
• LLMs, the impact of RAGs, and the case for/against the decision to build or buy
• What capabilities are needed to deliver legal GenAI solutions today, tomorrow, and how to bridge the gaps
• What’s unique about the legal GenAI market in the USA
• How legal GenAI is likely to evolve in 2024

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here. 

Please join CLI’s free Legal GenAI Global Community for a lightly curated newsfeed on how legal GenAI is transforming the legal ecosystem.

This podcast was recorded on 15 April 2024 as the second session in CLI’s Legal GenAI Around the World Series.

In this session Terri Mottershead, Executive Director at the Centre for Legal Innovation facilitated a discussion with three amazing panellists from India, Hong Kong and Singapore:

• Komal Gupta, Chief Innovation Officer, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (India)
• Sebastian Ko, General Counsel, DFX Labs (Hong Kong)
• Rajesh Sreenivasan, Head, Technology Media and Telecoms Practice, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP; Co-Founder and Director, Rajah & Tann Technologies Pte Ltd and Rajah & Tann Cybersecurity Pte Ltd and CLI Advisory Board Member (Singapore)

Topics covered included:

• How, where and why GenAI is being used in legal businesses and what’s driving/limiting adoption
• LLMs, the impact of RAGs, and the case for/against the decision to build or buy
• What capabilities are needed to deliver legal GenAI solutions today, tomorrow, and how to bridge the gaps
• What’s unique about the legal GenAI market in Hong Kong, India and Singapore

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

Please join CLI’s free Legal GenAI Global Community for a lightly curated newsfeed on how legal GenAI is transforming the legal ecosystem.

This podcast was recorded on 12 March 2024 as the inaugural session in CLI’s Legal GenAI Around the World Series.

In this session Terri Mottershead, Executive Director at the Centre for Legal Innovation facilitated a discussion with three amazing panellists from Australia + New Zealand:

• Matt Farrington, Senior Legal Counsel, Vice Chancellor’s Office, Victoria University of Wellington
• Caryn Sandler, Partner + Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer, Gilbert + Tobin and Co-Chair, CLI Advisory Board
• Dominic Woolrych, Co-founder & CEO, Lawpath

Topics covered included:

• How, where and why GenAI is being used in legal businesses and what’s driving the uptake
• LLMs, RAGs, hallucination and whether to build or buy
• What capabilities are needed to deliver legal GenAI solutions and the impact on legal businesses
• What’s unique about the legal GenAI market in Australia and New Zealand
• How legal GenAI is likely to evolve in 2024

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

Please join CLI’s free Legal GenAI Global Community for a lightly curated newsfeed on how legal GenAI is transforming the legal ecosystem.

This session has become an annual event for us and, this was a BIG year to review the world of legaltech, AI and innovation. So much has happened since ChatGPT exploded onto the market in November 2022. Its impact has been pervasive, even in an industry like legal which would not, in the past, have been described as agile.

So, what changed in 2023?  What stuck, what didn’t, and why? We welcomed back Caryn Sandler, Partner and Chief Knowledge & Innovation Officer at Gilbert + Tobin and Co-chair of the CLI Advisory Board; Graeme Grovum, Head of Legal Technology and Client Services at Allens; and Tessa van Duyn, CEO and Practice Leader at Moores, to discuss this and, we wrapped with a little crystal ball gazing into 2024 too!

We started this session with identifying why GenAI has captured our attention, dominated every conference, meeting, and the media so completely. Then we moved into the nitty gritty of it all, identifying use cases, interrogating how tech stacks have changed, and how that is impacting the law firm business model (client relationships, billing, risk and value). And we spent a little time on the huge question around capabilities too – do we have them, what do they look like, and how we can bridge the gaps?

There’s a lot going on in legal businesses right now, in all these areas, so we also explored how these businesses are strategising and planning for/in a market that is changing so rapidly and dramatically. That discussion took us to the next, how leaders/leadership are/is being reinvented for a new legal world, and that for many, this will involve a steep learning curve.

We wrapped with what will come next, in the first month of 2024. While plans differed, one thing was certain, we all have to find the space to reflect, consider next steps, and find the calm in this AI storm.

Thank you sooooo much Caryn, Graeme and Tessa – this is a session we look forward to every year and we’re certain you will too – don’t miss this one! 

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

In this session, we spoke with Beth Patterson, the Founder and Director of legal industry-focused tech consultancy, ESPconnect and an Adjunct Professor (Industry) at UTS Faculty of Law.

Beth’s career has the distinctive hallmark of being groundbreaking. The depth and breadth of her experience in tech and legaltech, in tech companies and law firms, as a consultant and educator, means she has a highly practical, global and unique perspective on where AI in the legal industry is going today.

Our discussion began with context - placing generative AI in the broader AI continuum - and moved into its impact on the legal industry. We are all still experimenting (testing and investing) in every industry, legal included, and we should be because there are still major issues with the tech that need to be worked out. However, what was also clear from our chat is the need for us to engage with the tech NOW because it’s not going away, not ever! Senior management in law firms know this (as do our clients) and they’re driving the engagement with it, something that makes this tech journey different from others.

What AI will we end up with at the end of this journey? Beth opines it will be a portfolio - a combination of enterprise-wide tech and point solutions, with commercial models driving the selection of what you use, for what and when. But, integration will also remain key; data governance critical; and capabilities to identify pain points, choose and use/apply fit-for-purpose tech increasingly part of every solution and BAU.

The opportunities with AI in legal are plentiful for those who jump in – new roles, new responsibilities, new practice areas (or expanded), new revenue streams, increasingly refined LLMs that do more and do it better – it’s a brave old and new world which we will embrace with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) or JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) – you’ll definitely want to listen to or watch this session to see where you fall on the continuum!

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

Resources:

• Thomson Reuters Institute, Edge International, and ESPconnect: 2023 Australia: State of the Legal Market Report
• Thomson Reuters, Tech & the Law 2023 Report: Perceptions and Priorities
• The conference referred to it this session is CLI’s Legal Generative AI Summit 2023 (24 and 25 October) – you will find the video and podcast recordings here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series, we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

In this session, we spoke with Jean Yang, the VP and Co-founder of Onit’s AI Center of Excellence. The Center is a note-worthy offering from a software vendor. Jean’s journey to Onit seems like it was a natural progression. A former practising lawyer from New Zealand, she has spent most of her career so far (there’s lots more still to come) at the leading edge of AI in legal and, that has now taken her to Onit in Austin, Texas.

Our discussion focussed on the application of AI in legal - how much that has changed this past year; emerging trends in AI uptake; whether it’s realistic to expect definitive use cases right now; and the challenges, opportunities, needs, expectations and reality of the tech becoming pervasive/BAU in the legal world next year or maybe later - it’s hard to look too far ahead in this space right now but we did a little AI crystal ball gazing!

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series, we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

In this session, we spoke with Michele DeStefano about how we can approach change, manage it and leverage it for the benefit of lawyer and allied legal professional wellbeing, for our clients, and legal businesses. 

Michele knows a thing or two about this from her many roles as law professor, business founder, educator, consultant, and serial entrepreneur. Her work is visionary tempered with a strong dose of reality and, getting stuff done! Michele has been building the foundations, paving the road, and walking the talk of legal ecosystem transformation for many years and, helping others to do that successfully too.

We discussed what it will take to change the legal industry, the BIG pieces of the change puzzle - lawyer mindset, human-centred design, multidisciplinary collaboration and culture. We also chatted about how to combine the pieces in a way that creates sustained agility in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world, it can be found in her most recent book (one of many already published with more to come), The Leader Upheaval Handbook: Lead Teams on an Innovation & Collaboration Journey with the 3-4-5 Method.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series, we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

It’s easy to get all caught up in the shiny new tech. It’s exciting and even a little mesmerizing, but the change it brings, demands and expects has a very real and human face too.

In this podcast, Isabel Parker, Legal innovator, author and LawTech UK panel member closed out the Summit with her timely, important and candid reminder of the need to keep an unwavering focus on our humanity in a human+ legal world.

This podcast was on Day Two of the CLI Legal Generative AI Summit 2023 on 25 October.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

So much has happened in tech/AI and the legal world in a year! Will 2024 see GenAI being more impactful, less impactful, the same? And where, what, how and when will it impact?

In this podcast, Caryn Sandler, Partner + Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer at Gilbert + Tobin and CLI Advisory Board Co-Chair gazed into the crystal ball to help you get prepared, and discussed what’s next with these legal industry gurus:

• Stuart Fuller, Global Head of Legal Services and Asia-Pacific Regional Leader for Legal Services, KPMG
• Hilary Goodier, Partner and Co-Head, Ashurst Advance, Ashurst and CLI Advisory Board Member
• Uwais Iqbal, Founder, simplexico
• Rajesh Sreenivasan, Head, Technology Media and Telecoms Law Practice, Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP, Director & Co-Founder of Rajah & Tann Technologies Pte Ltd and Rajah & Tann Cybersecurity Pte Ltd, Board Member, Mediacorp Pte Ltd and CLI Advisory Board Member

This podcast was on Day Two of the CLI Legal Generative AI Summit 2023 on 25 October.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

We don’t have the capabilities we need to deliver legal services/products or solutions in a digital world. So what are legal educators doing about this and how quickly can they individually/collectively bridge the gap?

In this podcast, Courtney Blackman, Head of Partnerships at Lander & Rogers discussed how legal education is changing in the face of GenAI with these leading academics and pracademics in law: 

• Aaron Baer, Co-Founder and Corporate Law Instructor, 4L Academy
• Stephen Colbran, Head of the College of Law, Criminology and Justice, Dean of Law, CQUniversity
• Ann-Maree David, Executive Director, College of Law Queensland
• Tania Leiman, Professor & Dean of Law, College of Business, Government and Law, Flinders University

This podcast was on Day Two of the CLI Legal Generative AI Summit 2023 on 25 October.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

Gen AI has reinvented the legal workforce. We’re seeing old roles expand, new roles emerge and some disappear too. So how is the legal industry preparing for this? What are the new talent strategies, capabilities, perspectives, retrospectives and yes, everything in between?

In this podcast, Sam Burrett, Legal Optimisation Consulting at MinterEllison explored the new world of legal talent with these fabulous ‘people centred’ innovators:

• Jan Christie, Director, Capability + Organisational Development, Gilbert + Tobin
• Schellie-Jayne (SJ) Price, Partner, Stirling & Rose and CLI Advisory Board Member
• Nam Truong, Digital + Innovation, Law Squared
• Tessa van Duyn, CEO and Practice Leader, Moores

This podcast was on Day Two of the CLI Legal Generative AI Summit 2023 on 25 October.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Harvard computer science course for lawyers
• OpenAI prompt engineering course
• An easier way to experience to functionality of semantic search

ChatGPT4 came after ChatGPT1 – getting from 1 to 4 and beyond took time, money, failure, frustration, resilience, agility, collaboration and multidisciplinary teamwork. These factors are all part of experimentation but they’re not typically hallmarks of the legal industry. So, how do we get from here to the new digital legal world?

In this podcast, Michelle Mahoney, Executive Director Innovation at King & Wood Mallesons got into the nitty gritty of what experimentation means in legal and how GenAI is encouraging its integration into legal BAU in discussion with this incredible panel of legal experimenters:

• Gary Adler, Chief Digital Officer, MinterEllison
• Danielle Emerson, Senior Legal Transformation Manager, Herbert Smith Freehills
• Elliot White, Head of Innovation & Legal Technology, Addleshaw Goddard
• Dominic Woolrych, Co-founder & CEO, Lawpath

This podcast was on Day One of the CLI Legal Generative AI Summit 2023 on 24 October.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

What is the new and emerging role of regulatory authorities in a GenAI world? Who should be regulated (lawyers and paralegals)? Should the provision of legal services/products/solutions remain a duopoly? Should tech/AI competency be mandated? What does legal professional responsibility mean in contemporary legal practice?

In this podcast, Terri Mottershead, Executive Director at the Centre for Legal Innovation was joined by this outstanding panel and discussed the role of regulation and regulators:

• Matthew Dunn, General Manager – Advocacy, Guidance and Governance, Queensland Law Society
• Catherine Gleeson, Barrister, NSW Bar Council Member and Deputy Chair of the NSW Bar News Committee
• Jeannie Paterson, Professor of Law, University of Melbourne and Co-Director, Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics (CAIDE), University of Melbourne
• Jennifer Shaw, Partner, Bartier Perry Lawyers and Panel Member of the NSW Law Society’s Professional Conduct Advisory Panel

This podcast was on Day One of the CLI Legal Generative AI Summit 2023 on 24 October.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

We’ve heard the stats and see every day the increasing and critical need to improve access to justice. There is much GenAI can do to help but it’s not a perfect solution, or is it?

In this podcast, Maya Markovich, Executive Director and Co-founder of the Justice Technology Association and CLI Advisory Board member, analysed and discussed the impact of GenAI in A2J with an amazing panel of community legal sector, pro bono, and low bono specialists:

• Amy Burton, Head of Pro Bono, Mills Oakley and Managing Lawyer, Everyday Justice
• Laura Elliott, Pro Bono Senior Associate, DLA Piper
• Daniel Ghezelbash, Associate Professor, UNSW Law & Justice
• Noel Lim, Co-Founder and CEO, Anika Legal

This podcast was on Day One of the CLI Legal Generative AI Summit 2023 on 24 October.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

Will Generative AI destroy law firms? Only if lawyers are too fixed in their ways to see the possibilities that lie beyond who we've always been and what we've always done.

In this podcast, globally renowned legal commentator Jordan Furlong, Principal at Law21, unpacked the challenges and opportunities of a GenAI-fuelled and human-centred legal world, one that is new, different and completely re-envisioned!

This podcast was on Day One of the CLI Legal Generative AI Summit 2023 on 24 October.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

Generative AI has dominated tech meetings, conversations, debates and demonstrations this year. We’ve been impressed, intimidated, inspired and disillusioned by the tech, so now almost a year since ChatGPT launched, is GenAI REALLY a game-changer? Is it the ultimate catalyst and influencer? Can it/should it sustain its impact on the legal world through pivotal roles like legal ops?

In this podcast, legal ops legend Mary O’Carroll, Chief Community Officer at Ironclad, Inc. and Co-Founder of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) shared her thoughts, experiences and use cases in response to those questions…as well as launching the Summit!

This episode was on Day One of the CLI Legal Generative AI Summit 2023 on 24 October.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

It’s been almost a year since ChatGPT launched! For many of us, that opened the door to a new world – new concepts, new terms, confusion, frustration, exhilaration – a whole lot of stuff to understand, implement and manage. We needed guidance but the sort that shines a light on where to go and doesn’t require us to build the flashlight first.

It takes a special combination of capabilities to do that, not everyone has them but determining who does, who doesn’t, and asking the right questions to engage the right person to assist can be hard, especially in new and emerging areas of expertise. Get the match right, and it can jump a legal business ahead in leaps and bounds. Get it wrong, and it will do the opposite but worse, create a culture of inertia that can last for years.

We spoke with someone who knows all about that, Josh Kubicki, the Co-founder and Business Designer of Bold Duck Studio and author of The Brainyacts Generative AI Newsletter. Josh’s deep experience in the legal ecosystem most particularly in advising on, leading, and delivering legal services done differently, qualifies him as someone who knows what it takes to make a contemporary legal business work and who it takes to do that too.

Josh’s work in the legal generative AI space is outstanding. He has combined his passion for tech, design, education, writing, and innovation with an entrepreneurial flare to produce a powerhouse of resources (check out The Brainyacts website) - videos, blogs, newsletters, checklists - to help the legal world embrace generative AI.

We spoke with Josh about one of his many projects, the AI Expert Checklist – it’s like a mini-CV for your next AI presenter so you can be sure to engage someone who really knows their stuff. In so many ways it typifies the work Josh is doing in this space – pragmatic, thoughtful, insightful, user-friendly, cutting-edge, and ground breaking – we know you’re going to enjoy this conversation just as much as we did!

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

The title of Marshall Goldsmith’s book (2007) “What Got You Here Won't Get You There,” has become a mantra for change and with good reason – it’s true – we can’t do things differently until we think about and approach them differently. That mindset shift, changing the way we think and do, has never had higher stakes or been more in demand than now, as the legal industry embraces AI.

Embracing change doesn’t come easily. It needs to start early. It often starts small and grows. It can be a team builder, collaboration opportunity, and produce unanticipated, positive outcomes. It can start as an idea over coffee. It will develop if it is given the space to breath and is supported by leaders with open minds and an excitement about experimentation. The Lander & Rogers AI Clinical Placement Program in collaboration with Monash University Law School (Dr. Jacqueline Weinberg) is the proof of that concept!

We spoke with Courtney Blackman, Head of Partnerships at Lander & Rogers in Australia and the firm’s lead for the Clinic – an experiment and pilot program from the outset, focussed on providing real world experience for law students in what AI can (and can’t do) in a law firm and, identifying use cases the firm could take forward in the process. It’s an amazing law school/legal industry collaboration in experiential learning that has created a unique experience for everyone involved and, we’re very certain, this will be the first of many more amazing AI clinics to come!

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

Generative AI has changed the world of legal work forever! That’s a big statement but, we’re seeing proofs of concept daily in multiple services, products and solutions from all types of legal businesses.

Those engaging with the tech are building the bridges from concept to implementation. It requires work and, in some cases, lots of it. It starts with getting everyone involved and, it won’t end, ever – that’s the exciting, exhausting and amazing part about it, this tech is very much about ongoing change, transformation and improvement/experimentation.

In this session, in the Future 50 Series of the CLI Legalpreneurs Spotlight, we chatted with Lisa Kozaris,  Chief Innovation and Legal Solutions Officer at Allens in Australia about all things emerging tech and how to implement it in a law firm. Lisa’s background in law and curiosity about how it intersects with tech, has turned into a passion, dedication, and practical approach to inspiring others to embrace it.

We spoke about some of the important factors to consider in the tech implementation journey like the need for clear guidelines about how to use it; the benefits of encouraging everyone, everywhere to engage with it; the opportunity to showcase talent and outcomes using a multi-disciplinary team collaborative approach to solutions; making sure people feel empowered and excited about unlocking their creativity; then taking time to review and reflect on what to take forward.

Lisa and her team have established a blueprint for change, transformation and continuous improvement/experimentation for the firm. It’s an inclusive measured approach, founded on a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities of tech but, at the same time, focussed squarely on next practices and creating a “new digital front door” for their clients. Airlie, Allens recently launched enterprise version of OpenAI's ChatGPT developed with Microsoft and built on Microsoft's Azure platform, is a recent case in point that we spoke about, and we’re sure it definitely won’t be the last! 

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

No matter what industry you put under the microscope or where you turn right now, there are gaps in digital literacy. Tech and AI are evolving at an unprecedented pace. Legal has and will come under increased scrutiny to keep up to remain relevant. And what that means is upskilling or reskilling on a scale we have never seen before. The legal world is not ready for this, not by a long shot.

We won’t close the digital literacy gap doing legal education the same way, in the same places – we need to do legal education differently and for a new generation - generation AI!

In this session in the Future 50 Series of the CLI Legalpreneurs Spotlight, we chatted with Abdi Shayesteh, the CEO & Founder of AltaClaro. Abdi’s background as a teenage entrepreneur, lawyer, and innovator led him to think differently about legal education and then, with his team of education, tech, and subject area specialists, reinvent it!

AltaClaro is leading the way in a new type of experiential legal education – a collaboration with industry partners laser focussed on agile program development, leveraging tech and upskilling/reskilling in person, in small groups, at scale. In the example we spoke about, what started as a conversation over coffee has turned into a suite of programs aimed at bridging the gap in digital literacy for lawyers and allied legal professionals.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au

This podcast was delivered on 25 August 2023 and is the ninth and final session in CLI’s AI for Legal Series.

In this session Lisa Crosbie, Technology Evangelist and Amanda Fajerman, Engagement Manager, both at Barhead discussed Driving your business forward with Microsoft Copilot.

Topics covered included:

• What is Microsoft Copilot?
• Where will Microsoft Copilot be available?
• When will Microsoft Copilot be available?
• The need to be ready for Microsoft Copilot
• How to drive your business forward with Microsoft Copilot
• Reduce your digital debt
• Audit your context, knowledge and information sources
• Update your MS Knowledge and Governance Framework
• Prepare your workforce
• Embed ‘productivity efficiency’ mindsets

Resources

• CLI Legal Generative AI LinkedIn Group
• CLI Generative AI Initiative

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

This podcast was delivered on 9 August 2023 and is the eighth session in CLI’s AI for Legal Series.

In this session Julian Webb, Professor of Law, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne discussed AI and Ethics in Legal Practice – What you need to know now!

Topics covered included:

• A brief background and context of legal AI
• ‘Old school’ expert systems
• Machine learning
• LLMs and LGAIMs (Generative AI e.g. ChatGPT)
• The ‘black box problem’
• Accuracy, accessibility and transparency
• AI and Legal Ethics
• Competence, care and skill
• Confidentiality and privilege
• The duty to supervise – systems and users
• Conclusion – A ‘duty’ to innovate?

Resources

• CLI Legal Generative AI LinkedIn Group
• CLI Generative AI Initiative

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

This podcast was delivered on 2 August 2023 and is the seventh session in CLI’s AI for Legal Series.

In this session Joel Barolsky, Principal, Edge International discussed how Generative AI is changing law firm strategy and business models.

Topics covered in this session included how current generative AI will impact a law firm’s business strategy and business model for:

• Team structure, shape and composition
• Leverage, pricing margin and utilisation
• The dynamics and exchange of value between firms and their clients
• The role and offering of private law firms
• Marketing and business development
• Firm-wide capabilities and skill sets
• Risk and the cost of PI insurance
• New growth opportunities in advising clients on AI-related matters
• Industry structure and profitability
• Likely winners and losers

Resources

• CLI Legal Generative AI LinkedIn Group
• CLI Generative AI Initiative

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

This podcast was delivered on 21 July 2023 and is the sixth session in CLI’s AI for Legal Series.

In this session Ab Saraswat, Chief Revenue Officer, Lupl and Founder, Fringe Legal discussed everything you need to know about ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Legal …. all the tips and traps.

Topics covered included:

• Prompt Engineering Basics
• Prompt Formatting
• Types of Prompting
• Techniques, Tips and Best Practices
• Ethical Considerations

Resources

• Best practices for prompt engineering with OpenAI API
• CLI Legal Generative AI LinkedIn Group
• CLI Generative AI Initiative

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

This podcast was delivered on 19 July 2023 and is the fifth session in CLI’s AI for Legal Series.

In this session Patrick Fair, Principal, Patrick Fair Associates discussed Generative AI, ChatGPT and IP Rights.

Topics covered included:

• Generative AI overview
• Impact of GenAI on: Design Rights, Circuit Layout rights, Trade Marks, Patents and Copyright
• Compare and contrast the legal position outside Australia
• Review of recent cases

Resources

• CLI Legal Generative AI LinkedIn Group
• CLI Generative AI Initiative

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

In this podcast,  the final episode of eight in the CLI’s Women Legal Business Founders and Leaders Series offered through our Legalpreneurs Lab, Women Legalpreneurs Special Interest Group, Terri Mottershead, Executive Director, Centre for Legal Innovation facilitated a discussion focused on the journey from Managing Partner to Founder and what it takes to build a legacy with three outstanding women founders and leaders from Australia:

• Kristen Podagiel, Co-Founder, UNIQ You
• Sarah Rey, Founding Partner, Justitia Lawyers and Consultants
• Allison Warburton, Co-Founder and Director, Lacuna Professional Solutions

Topics covered in this session included:

• Defining legacy – What is it? What does it mean to you? Is it ok not to focus on it, ever? Is it a solo or collaborative decision?
• Building a runway – What is a “runway”? How long is it? Why is it important?
• Is there an “ah ha” moment when it’s time to move on? What does it look like?
• How does the journey end, with a bang, a but, or a what’s next?

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

This podcast was delivered on 11 July 2023 and is the fourth session in CLI’s AI for Legal Series.

In this session Krystal Jackson, eDiscovery Senior Manager, Ashurst Advance discussed data – what you need to know, what you need to do, and how you can get ready for the legal AI revolution.

Topics covered included:

• What data is (and is not)
• Data governance and storage
• On premise vs cloud storage
• Data collection and disclosure
• What data works best with AI

Resources

• CLI Legal Generative AI LinkedIn Group
• CLI Generative AI Initiative

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

This podcast was delivered on 7 July 2023 and is the third session in CLI’s AI for Legal Series.

In this session Stan Chua, Service Delivery Manager, Technology, Lander & Rogers discussed Large Language Models.

Topics covered included:

• Machine Learning, Large Language Model, Generative AI – What’s the difference?
• Large Language Model: How does it work? How does it learn?
• Transformer – the magic tool behind ChatGPT
• Impact, ethics and risk considerations
• Hallucinations
• Future of Large Language Models

Resources

• CLI Legal Generative AI LinkedIn Group
  CLI Generative AI Initiative

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

This podcast was delivered on 27 June 2023 and is the second session in CLI’s AI for Legal Series.

In this session, Ab Saraswat, Chief Revenue Officer at Lupl and Founder of Fringe Legal discussed ChatGPT Plugins – Why? Now? Next?

Topics covered included:

• The difference between APIs, Apps and Plugins
• How ChatGPT Plugins are solving some of the limitations of ChatGPT, enabling more dynamic, context-aware systems
• The risks and challenges associated with ChatGPT Plugins, including data security and reliability
• Predictions about the future of ChatGPT Plugins, including growth trends and advanced integration possibilities
• The potential for the development of legal-specific plugins and their implications for the legal sector

Resources

•         Fringe Legal #82: Unveiling the Impact of ChatGPT Plugins on Legal Tech
•         Fringe Legal: Law Tech Daily
•         CLI Legal Generative AI LinkedIn Group
•         CLI Generative AI Initiative

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

This podcast was delivered on 20 June 2023 and launched CLI’s AI for Legal Series.

In this session, Caryn Sandler, Partner + Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer and Mitchell Scott, Data and Delivery Manager, both from Gilbert + Tobin, discussed How to Use Generative AI and ChatGPT in Legal Practice.

Topics covered included:

• The changing AI landscape
• The legal generative AI toolkit
• What’s coming around the corner in legal AI
• The approaches taken to AI in the legal industry so far
• Risks and ethical considerations when using generative AI
• The do’s and don’ts of generative AI

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

In this podcast, the seventh episode of eight in the CLI’s Women Legal Business Founders and Leaders Series offered through our Legalpreneurs Lab, Women Legalpreneurs Special Interest Group, Bronwyn Eynon-Lewis, Co-Founder, Lacuna Professional Services facilitated a discussion focussed on when a business idea doesn’t go to plan, what’s next, with three outstanding women founders and leaders from Australia:

• Kim Trajer, Chief Operating Officer, McCullough Robertson
• Phi Vo, Principal & Director, Catalyst Migration Law
• Alexandra Vost, Legal Optimisation Manager, MinterEllison

Topics covered in this session included:

• How to encourage and sustain creativity and innovative business ideas
• How to create a culture of experimentation vs pilots
• How to frame, communicate and create buy in for your idea
• The pros and cons of falling in love with your own idea
• How to identify that not all ideas have the same risk and how to manage the differences
• Is failure different, worse or the same for start-ups vs  established businesses
• How to know when to stay or walk away  if your idea fails

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

In this podcast, the final of five sessions on Digital Contracting for Net Zero, CLI’s Distinguished Fellow, Natalia Crnomarkovic was joined by Bernadette Bulacan Starin to explore how emerging technologies are shaping the future of Climate Contracting and how leading organisations are looking to blockchain and other emerging technologies as key Net Zero enablers.

Bernadette Bulacan Starin is Chief Evangelist at Icertis, a Gartner Magic Quadrant CLM vendor, and 2021 Fellow of the World Commerce and Contracting organisation.

Topics covered in this session included:

• Digital contracting as a key enabler for Climate aligned contracting

• Contract Lifecycle maturity – the state of play and recent market shifts

• Key challenges in driving Net Zero across supply chains and how blockchain-enabled CLM technology promises to transform these challenges into a competitive advantage 

• Top tips for organisations seeking to accelerate NetZero through supply chains using digital contracting 

You’ll find information about the other episodes in this series in the Digital Contracting for Net Zero Report here.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

In this podcast, the fourth of five sessions on Digital Contracting for Net Zero, CLI’s Distinguished Fellow, Natalia Crnomarkovic was joined by Alishia Ballantine and Peter Moulton to explore the limitations of current CLM systems in enabling Net Zero and how Next Gen contracting (aka Smart Legal Contracts) will uplift climate metrics capture and reporting across supply chains. 

Alishia Ballintine is a Legal Analyst with Stirling & Rose, a first-of-a-kind legal practice specialising in emerging technology and Peter Moulton is Co-founder and CEO of Sensand, an Australian Earth Tech company that is at the cusp of launching a blockchain enabled global carbon trading exchange.

Topics covered in this session included:

• Limitations of current state Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) Platforms in supporting climate contracting, monitoring and reporting

• The evolution of contracts from static artefacts to dynamic Digital Assets (Smart Legal Contracts)

• How Smart Legal Contracts working with new platforms such as carbon trading exchanges promise to streamline the pathway to Net Zero

• How in-house lawyers can help prepare their organisations for DLT enabled Climate Contracting 

You’ll find information about the other episodes in this series in the Digital Contracting for Net Zero Report here.  

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

In this podcast, the third of five sessions on Digital Contracting for Net Zero, CLI’s Distinguished Fellow, Natalia Crnomarkovic was joined by Marko Misko to explore how lawyers are aligning Construction supply chains with NetZero and the growing importance of technology as an enabler in this space.

Marko Misko is a leading front-end infrastructure lawyer and partner with HWL Ebsworth Lawyers. He is chair of the sustainability policy chapter at Roads Australia and honorary General Counsel of the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia.

Topics covered in this session included:

• Climate as a key business risk and the duty of lawyers to address this risk

• How legal and procurement functions are aligning construction supply chains with Net Zero starting with pre-RFP planning

• The importance of creativity and collaborative cross-disciplinary delivery models to design and implement effective Net Zero programs

• Key challenges and opportunities for lawyers seeking to make a difference in Climate

You’ll find information about the other episodes in this series in the Digital Contracting for Net Zero Report here.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

In this podcast, the second of five sessions on Digital Contracting for Net Zero, CLI’s Distinguished Fellow, Natalia Crnomarkovic was joined by Jessica Mottau and Tara Fontanilla to showcase how in-house and private practice lawyers are teaming to support NetZero across FMCG Supply Chains, through NetZero aligned contracting and explore the growing importance of technology in this space.

Jessica Mottau is a Partner in Allens’ TMT practice based in Sydney and Tara Fontanilla is Senior Legal Counsel NZ with Danone Oceania, based in NZ.

Topics covered in this session included:

• Danone’s approach to Net Zero

• How the in-house team works with external legal advisors on Net Zero

• How Australian procurement and legal teams are tackling Net Zero across the contract lifecycle from partner selection to KPIs and audit rights

• The role of technology and data to support decarbonisation benchmarking and reporting

You’ll find information about the other episodes in this series in the Digital Contracting for Net Zero Report here.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

In this podcast, the first of five sessions on Digital Contracting for Net Zero, CLI’s Distinguished Fellow, Natalia Crnomarkovic was joined by Phoebe Roberts to explore how legal teams are jumping into action to propel NetZero through Climate adjusted risk allocation and Climate contracting.

Phoebe Roberts is a senior legal practitioner in MinterEllison’s Climate Risk Governance Team and Director of Implementation and APAC Co-lead at The Chancery Lane Project (TCLP).

Topics covered in this session included:

• The role of legal and contract management teams to secure the pathway to Net Zero

• The shift from traditional risk allocation to climate aligned contracting for climate impact

• Chancery Lane Project (TCLP) as an invaluable resource for climate contracting 

• Key challenges across the contract lifecycle for Australian Corporates in addressing climate

• The role of technology in securing a NetZero future

• Tips for lawyers seeking to align supply chains with Corporate NetZero aspirations

You’ll find information about the other episodes in this series in the Digital Contracting for Net Zero Report here.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

In this podcast, the sixth episode of eight in the CLI’s Women Legal Business Founders and Leaders Series offered through our Legalpreneurs Lab, Women Legalpreneurs Special Interest Group, Melissa Lyon, Executive Director and Experience Designer, Hive Legal facilitated a discussion focusing on the journey from Lawyer to NewLaw Careerist with three outstanding women founders and leaders from Australia:

• Liz Fernando, Head of Legal Project Management, Allens
• Kate Greenwood, National Innovation Manager Family & Relationship Law, Lander & Rogers
• Katherine Thomas, Managing Director, Katherine Thomas Consulting and CEO, Free Range Lawyers

Topics covered in this session included:

• What is (and isn’t) a NewLaw career
• How different paths to NewLaw careers are possible, probable, and positive
• The need for and importance of diversity and inclusion in NewLaw careers
• What’s next for NewLaw careers – evolution, journeys, paths and capabilities
• How NewLaw careers are shaping/contributing to the transformation of legal practice

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

In this podcast, the fifth episode of eight in the CLI’s Women Legal Business Founders and Leaders Series offered through our Legalpreneurs Lab, Women Legalpreneurs Special Interest Group, Sheetal Deo, Founder and Principal Solicitor, Shakti Legal Solutions facilitated a discussion focussed on Partnership or Sole Proprietorship and what to consider before you jump, with two outstanding women founders and leaders from Australia:

• Natasha Blycha, Managing Director & Founder Partner, Stirling & Rose
• Kelly Gatehouse, Principal Lawyer and Director, Nurture Law

Topics covered in this session included:

• How you know when you’ve reached a decision point in your career, the alternatives available to you, and how to compare/assess them
• The key differences and considerations between partnership and sole proprietorship
• The realities of starting and running a legal business: solo or a team; growing the business or not; home office or not; funding options; balancing doing the work and managing your business
• Why you need and how to create/integrate a multidisciplinary team inside/outside your firm, or both
• The importance of mentors, advisors and support – who you need, where to find them, and how you translate advice into actions steps

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

In this podcast, the fourth episode of eight in the  CLI’s Women Legal Business Founders and Leaders Series offered through our Legalpreneurs Lab, Women Legalpreneurs Special Interest Group, Terri Mottershead, Executive Director, Centre for Legal Innovation, facilitated a discussion with three outstanding women founders and leaders from Australia on how they created a change agenda, led their firms (and clients) from A-Z, and what their plans are to sustain this in 2023:

• Genevieve Collins, Chief Executive Partner, Lander & Rogers
• Caryn Sandler, Partner + Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer, Gilbert + Tobin
• Tessa van Duyn, CEO and Practice Leader, Moores

Topics covered in this session included:

• How to define innovation and change (it’s different for everyone) AND how the two are intertwined
• The catalyst for and if there is a “secret sauce” that engages people in change/transformation
• Real-life examples of change/innovation projects/initiatives that worked or failed AND what happened next!
• How to value innovation and resource it at any time but especially in the face of a recession
• How do you know innovation/change has become your new BAU, part of your culture, and not just a project
• The importance of developing leadership capabilities in achieving and championing innovation/change

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

This session has become a signature event for CLI – this is our fourth year of looking back, seeing what stuck and what didn’t in legal innovation and tech and why. We always wrap with a little crystal ball gazing into 2023 too!

This year we chatted with Caryn Sandler, Partner and Chief Knowledge & Innovation Officer at Gilbert + Tobin and Co-chair of the CLI Advisory Board; Graeme Grovum, Head of Technology and Client Solutions at Allens; and Tessa van Duyn, CEO and Practice Leader at Moores - we had lots to discuss, 2022 was a big year…

On the tech side, we spoke about tech stacks (the nice to haves vs not negotiable now in our post-COVID BAU world); the winners and the REAL, practical differences between platforms and point solutions; the outlook for legaltech start-ups in 2023 (the good, the bad and the ugly); and yes, ChatGPT too!

On the innovation side, we discussed the rate and distribution of REAL change in the legal world, where that was happening i.e., in legal departments vs law firms and why that mattered. We did a deep dive into capabilities – how these were changing and expanding to accommodate new law firm business models and meet/exceed client expectations – that inevitably led us to a discussion about NewLaw careers! We also chatted about the many practical, critical ways that firms were processing all of this and addressing that in an employment market increasingly typified by skills shortages, resignations, hybrid work, and with the threat of more economic challenges to come in 2023.

We wrapped with predictions for 2023…you’ll need to watch/listen to this session to find that out…no spoiler alerts here!

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series, we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

Robots are going to replace lawyers! That’s the headline that often comes to mind when we think about AI in the legal world. But, it’s not realistic for a bunch of different reasons and in this session, we discussed why with Uwais Iqbal, the Founder of simplexico, a legal AI consultancy based in the UK and dedicated to serving the AI, ML and NLP needs of the legal sector. You’ll also find Uwais on Twitter here.

Uwais’ background as a machine learning engineer and data scientist and, the emerging need for those skills in the legal world, is what connected him to it. From that lived experience, he identified an opportunity to make AI understandable, user-friendly, and an integral part of the legal marketplace. It’s an amazing story and where we started this conversation.

We then jumped into some myth-busting and discussed where AI in legal lies today on the Gartner Hype Cycle and where we can expect that to go. We did a deep dive into the practical benefits of AI. We also discussed the challenges, especially those that relate to and have already pointed to the need for careful review, consideration, and determination in areas like ethics and bias.

We ended with a discussion about ChatGPT. Having been launched in November 2022, it was a hot topic in the media when we spoke and, subject to mixed reactions. We discussed how the real opportunity of this AI, and AI in general, was yet to be fully realised and we’ll likely get closest to seeing it when the data sets used to train AI to move from the public to private arenas.  

This is a conversation everyone in the legal ecosystem should watch/listen to. AI is going to influence decisions and impact every part of the legal world. It won’t all happen at the same time but, one thing is for sure, it’s going to be harder and harder to catch up if we don’t get on board and at least follow the trajectory.

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this podcast, you’ll find the video here.

About the Future 50 Series

In the Future 50 Series, we’re chatting with legalpreneurs who, through their ideas and actions, are challenging and transforming legal BAU all around the world.

If you would like to recommend people for this Series, please contact us at: CLI@collaw.edu.au.

In this podcast, the third episode of eight in the CLI’s Women Legal Business Founders and Leaders Series offered through our Legalpreneurs Lab Women Legalpreneurs Special Interest Group, Terri Mottershead, Executive Director, Centre for Legal Innovation, facilitated a discussion about the when, how, why and what of funding for women-led businesses with two outstanding women founders and leaders from Australia and the USA:

• Jannaya James, Partner - Financial Advisory, Grant Thornton Australia
• Basha Rubin, CEO & Co-Founder, Priori Legal

Topics covered in this session included:

• How to think about and make fundamental choices for business funding
• Key sources of funding for legal businesses
• Whether or not legal businesses need to be more creative and cast the net widely/differently when it comes to funding
• What funders look for in a legal business and why
• When it’s desirable/undesirable for a funder to take a stake in the business
• The profile of and your checklist for a fabulous investor
• Why women-led businesses don’t fare as well in the funding stakes and what can be done about it

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

Everywhere you look there's another launch, announcement, and even more discussion about legaltech! While there is DEFINITELY more tech to choose from today, the SAME critical question remains for you to ask and answer...what's the right tech for you and your law firm?

In this podcast,  Fiona McLay, Principal Lawyer & Consultant at McLay Legal answered that question, revisited her popular original video from May 2020, and provided a practical framework for getting started and implementing your legaltech projects.

Topics covered in this session included:

• What’s changed since 2019 in the legaltech marketplace
• Common legaltech adoption challenges and how to solve them
• A five-step practical process for choosing the right legaltech
• How to kick start your legaltech projects today

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.

If you would like to revisit Fiona’s earlier video on Getting Started with Legal Tech Projects, you’ll find it here.

In this podcast, in the second episode of eight in the  CLI’s Women Legal Business Founders and Leaders Series offered through our Legalpreneurs Lab, Women Legalpreneurs Special Interest Group, Courtney Blackman, Head of Partnerships, Lander & Rogers, facilitated a discussion about the journey from Start Up to Scale Up with three outstanding women founders and leaders from Australia:

• Riz Amin, CEO, Foundd Legal
• Renee Coman, Mergers and Acquisitions Relationship Manager, Jonas Software
• Kate McAlister, Lawyer & Co-Founder, Markster

Topics covered in this session included:

• The difference between a start-up and scale-up
• How to identify, read the signs, and make the business transformation from start-up to scale-up at the right time
• Determining, understanding, and prioritising your product market
• The importance of client relationships and client-based business growth
• How to sustain a scaled business – what it takes, what to do, and what it looks like
• Developing, managing and choosing the right talent for a growing business – capabilities; FT/PT/casual; insourcing/outsourcing
• Funding options – bootstrap/client investment/external funding
• The role, challenges and opportunities of tech
• Helpful tools and resources for growing start-ups

If you would prefer to watch rather than listen to this episode, you’ll find the video in our CLI-Collaborate (CLIC) free Resource Hub here.