AI and the Future of Law

Can Law Firms Redesign Themselves for AI? Jen Leonard on Unprecedented 23.06.2026 36хв

Can law firms redesign themselves for a world shaped by generative AI?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Sharon Crane, president of Practising Law Institute, for a conversation about Jen’s new book, Unprecedented: Designing a Human-Centered Law Firm When Everything Is Changing. Together, they explore why law firm transformation is difficult, how storytelling can make change feel more accessible, and why collaboration, human-centered design, and practical experimentation matter in the AI era.The conversation also covers PLI’s AI competency framework, the value of business fables, the history of the Cravath system and the billable hour, how Jen used AI as a writing partner, and what the future of junior lawyer training might look like.Learn more about Unprecedented: Designing a Human-Centered Law Firm When Everything Is Changing:https://www.pli.edu/catalog/publications/treatise/unprecedented-designing-a-human-centered-law-firm-when-everything-is-changing/447974In this episode:Why law firm change requires human buy-inHow storytelling can make transformation more usableWhy the current legal business model is not inevitableHow AI can act as a co-intelligence, not a shortcutWhat junior lawyer training might look like in the AI era Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Legal Tech in a Bubble? Nikki Shaver on AI Strategy and Legal Tech Growth 09.06.2026 36хв

The legal tech market is growing fast—but is it a bubble, or the beginning of a new era for legal services?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Nikki Shaver, co-founder and CEO of Legaltech Hub, to discuss how AI is reshaping law firm strategy, pricing, technology selection, and competition. Nikki explains why firms are moving beyond efficiency as the main measure of AI value, how AI-native firms may challenge incumbents, and why agentic AI creates new governance and security questions for legal organizations.In this episode:How legal tech adoption has shifted since ChatGPTWhy AI value is moving from efficiency to qualityWhat AI-native firms mean for incumbent law firmsHow law firms should evaluate legal tech startupsWhy agentic AI raises new governance risksWhat Nikki expects next for the legal tech marketKeywords:legal tech, legal technology, AI in law, legal AI, law firm strategy, Nikki Shaver, Legaltech Hub, agentic AI, AI-native firms, law firm innovation, legal innovation, GenAI, legal tech bubble, future of law Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Happens When AI Agents Make Contracts? Bridget McCormack on LCP 26.05.2026 38хв

What happens when AI agents start making contracts with other AI agents?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore Legal Context Protocol, or LCP, a new open protocol designed to help legal terms become discoverable, verifiable, and connected to agentic transactions. Bridget explains why existing e-commerce legal infrastructure may not translate cleanly to a world where machines negotiate, accept terms, and complete transactions on behalf of people and businesses.In this episode:What Legal Context Protocol is designed to solveWhy agentic commerce creates new contract and ratification issuesHow legal terms can become discoverable, verifiable, and connected to transactionsWhy AI risk and legal-context risk should be separatedWhat general counsel and law firm partners should do now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can AI Make Lawyers Better? Daniel Schwarcz on AI and Human Legal Reasoning 12.05.2026 33хв

Can AI help lawyers learn—or does it weaken the skills legal training is meant to build?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Daniel Schwarcz, Fredrikson & Byron Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School, to discuss new empirical research on artificial intelligence and human legal reasoning. Daniel explains a randomized control trial studying how law students used AI to synthesize legal materials, apply legal rules, and revise legal analysis—and why some results surprised even the researchers.In this episode:Why legal training may prepare lawyers to use AI wellWhat the University of Minnesota study tested about AI and legal reasoningWhy AI-assisted students performed better than expectedThe risks of using AI for revision under time pressureWhat law schools and law firms should take away from the research Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Am Law 100 Power Rankings: What’s Changing in Big Law with Jae Um 28.04.2026 53хв

The latest Am Law 100 power rankings reveal a legal industry undergoing rapid transformation—driven by shifting demand, intensifying competition, and the growing influence of AI. In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by legal industry analyst Jae Um to break down what’s changing in Big Law. They explore the rise of “apex predator” firms, widening performance gaps, evolving AI strategies, and early signs of client-side disruption.In this episode:Am Law 100 power rankings and market concentrationThe rise of “apex predator” firmsAI strategy and firm-level competitionShifting client demand and pricing pressureThe future structure of Big Law Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason Barnwell on AI Agents, Contract Lifecycle Management, and the Future of Legal Work 21.04.2026 36хв

Artificial intelligence is moving beyond tools and into systems—reshaping how legal work is performed and delivered.In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack speak with Jason Barnwell, Chief Legal Officer at Agiloft, about the rise of AI agents, contract lifecycle management, and what these shifts mean for legal practice.They explore how some professionals are able to extract exponentially more value from AI than others, the growing importance of structuring legal knowledge into reusable protocols, and how contract data is becoming a strategic asset inside organizations. The conversation also examines shifting incentives, emerging career paths, and how legal education and training may need to evolve in response.Topics discussed include:AI agents and the shift from tools to systemsWhy some professionals get exponentially more value from AIContract lifecycle management and the rise of contract data as infrastructureThe changing role of lawyers from executors to system architectsLegal education, training models, and new career pathways Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did AI Just Practice Law? The OpenAI Lawsuit + Legalweek 2026 07.04.2026 34хв

Artificial intelligence is beginning to test the boundaries of legal practice itself.In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack examine Nippon Life v. OpenAI, a lawsuit alleging that a chatbot engaged in the unauthorized practice of law by generating legal advice, drafting filings, and influencing litigation strategy. The case raises foundational questions about liability, regulation, and whether existing legal frameworks can meaningfully apply to AI systems.They also explore practical AI use cases and key takeaways from Legalweek 2026, including rising pressure to demonstrate ROI, rapid enterprise adoption, and the shift toward more advanced systems.Topics discussed include:The facts and legal theories in Nippon Life v. OpenAIUnauthorized practice of law vs. product liability frameworksThe limits of regulating AI through court decisionsLegalweek 2026: ROI pressure and adoption trendsPractical AI workflows using Claude Co-Work Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How AI Is Changing Contract Law with Dave Hoffman 24.03.2026 45хв

Artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape one of the most foundational areas of legal practice: contract law.In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Professor Dave Hoffman (University of Pennsylvania Law School) to explore how tools like Claude are influencing contract interpretation, legal research, and legal education. They discuss how AI can help judges interpret ambiguous language, what it means for the value of transactional lawyers, and why defining an “AI-ready” lawyer is harder than it sounds.Topics DiscussedUsing Claude to analyze law journals’ AI policies at scaleHow AI can support judges in interpreting contract languageThe changing value of transactional lawyers in an AI-driven worldHow legal education is adapting to rapid technological changeRethinking legal judgment, training, and professional value Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI Recording Tools and Attorney-Client Privilege in the Age of AI 10.03.2026 32хв

AI recording tools can make lawyers more efficient—but what are the risks to confidentiality?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack examine how AI recording tools intersect with attorney–client privilege, professional responsibility rules, and the evolving skill demands of an AI-driven workforce.Topics discussed include:How AI recording platforms may introduce third-party privilege risksState consent laws and the ethical limits of secret recordingNew York Bar Formal Opinion 2025-6 and deceptive practicesWhether recording changes how clients communicate with their lawyersThe risk of AI-generated summaries misinterpreting legal nuanceA risk-based framework for deciding when (and when not) to recordNew Wharton–Accenture research on how AI is reshaping job skills and compensationAI tools can improve legal work—but only when lawyers understand the boundaries that protect trust, competence, and confidentiality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI Agents and the Widening Divide in Legal with Zach Abramowitz 24.02.2026 34хв

As the legal profession enters 2026, the conversation about AI is shifting. It is no longer about awareness or early adoption. It is about measurable impact.In this episode of AI and the Future of Law, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Zach Abramowitz for a legal market check-in on AI agents, ROI, competitive pressure, and the widening divide between AI superusers and skeptics.They discuss:The shift from AI assistants to AI agentsWhy 2026 is about measuring ROI, not experimentationThe rise of AI-first firms and competitive pressure on traditional modelsVenture capital, private equity, and renewed conversations about external ownershipThe growing mindset divide within the professionAI is no longer a side experiment in legal. It is becoming embedded in strategy, pricing, and firm structure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Claude Code, Vibe Coding, and Creative Lawyers at Work 10.02.2026 34хв

What happens when lawyers stop waiting for permission and start building with AI? Jen and Bridget explore the rise of creative associates and what tools like Claude Code reveal about the future of legal work. From agentic AI systems that refactor how coding gets done to junior lawyers who “vibe-code” solutions to everyday firm problems, this conversation looks at how innovation is increasingly bottom-up in law firms.Topics covered include:Claude Code and agentic AI for knowledge workWhy creative associates are driving real changeVibe coding and lowering the barrier to innovationCultural shifts law firms need to support experimentationWhat this means for junior lawyers and legal training Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should Lawyers Trust AI? Inside Harvey and the Future of Legal Work 27.01.2026 44хв

Can lawyers really trust AI—and what does “trust” mean in modern legal practice?In this episode of AI and the Future of Law, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Gabe Pereyra, President and Co-Founder of Harvey AI, to explore how generative AI is moving from a productivity tool to core infrastructure for law firms.Gabe explains how leading firms are deploying AI at scale, why hallucinations are no longer the central concern, and how governance, auditability, and human-in-the-loop systems shape real trust in legal AI. The conversation also dives into the future of the billable hour, lawyer training, and why AI is best understood as leverage—not labor replacement.In this episode:When lawyers will trust AI systemsHuman-in-the-loop governance and supervisionAI as law firm infrastructure, not just softwareWhy the billable hour isn’t disappearingTraining lawyers faster in an AI-first era Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Private Equity and the Future of Law Firms: Investing in AI 13.01.2026 31хв

Private equity interest in U.S. law firms is accelerating, and AI is a major reason why. In this Season 3 kickoff, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore how ethics rules collide with the capital demands of AI, and why the real story isn’t short-term profits but long-term investment in legal infrastructure. They unpack Rule 5.4, the rise of the MSO model as a workaround for outside investment, and what “ownership” really means when control over data, technology, and professional judgment is at stake.The conversation also examines emerging judicial approaches to AI disclosure and what they signal for competence, evidence, and governance as AI becomes foundational to legal practice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Predictions for 2026 in AI and the Law 23.12.2025 36хв

What will AI actually change in law by 2026—and how should firms, courts, and legal institutions prepare? In this season two finale of AI and the Future of Law, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack step back from the hype cycle to offer grounded, practical predictions about the next few years.They explore Google’s Gemini 3 and the shift from chatbots to agentic systems, the “platformization” of legal services driven by MSOs, ALSPs, and private equity, and the new talent demands this creates inside law firms. Along the way, they introduce ideas like AI legal twins, AI co-mediators, and opt-in court pilots for low-stakes disputes—and ask what leaders across the justice system should be planning for now.Topics Covered:How Gemini 3 and agentic AI systems move beyond simple chatbotsWhy private equity, MSOs, and ALSPs may “platformize” legal servicesThe new talent equation: from 1Ls to AI leaders in the C-suiteProvocative ideas like AI legal twins and AI co-mediatorsHow courts might experiment with opt-in AI pilots for low-stakes cases Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Building AI Tools for All: Closing the Justice Gap with Sateesh Nori & Tom Martin 09.12.2025 36хв

How can AI expand access to justice for the millions who can’t afford a lawyer? In this episode, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack speak with Sateesh Nori and Tom Martin about AI tools reshaping legal help, including Depositron for security deposit disputes and Law Answers AI for jurisdiction-specific guidance.They discuss Sateesh’s journey from housing court to AI innovation, Tom’s work building scalable solutions for the public, and the profession’s ongoing debate over “second-tier justice.” What emerges is a compelling vision for AI as a bridge—not a barrier—to legal help.Topics: • How AI is transforming access to justice • Why the legal system leaves most people without help • The creation of Depositron and LawAnswers AI • “Second-tier justice” vs. real-world legal outcomes • Moonshot visions for AI-enabled legal service delivery Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Making Talk Cheap: Are AI Tools Devaluing Legal Writing? 25.11.2025 38хв

Is AI making legal writing too easy—and too cheap? In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore how generative AI tools are reshaping writing as a professional skill. They discuss the paper “Making Talk Cheap,” which argues that when anyone can generate polished text, writing loses its value as a signal of skill, effort, or merit. What does this mean for hiring, advancement, and lawyering in the AI era? Plus, they unpack a new Wharton study showing how enterprise AI use is soaring—with real ROI—while sharing personal stories of AI’s practical impact.Topics Covered:Wharton’s 2025 report on enterprise AI adoption and ROI (vs. the “failed pilots” narrative)How generative AI is leveling the playing field in writing qualityThe Making Talk Cheap study on devalued written work and hiring signalsImplications for legal hiring, promotion, and skill development in the AI era Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI in LA Courts: David Slayton on Access to Justice 11.11.2025 39хв

Can AI make the nation’s largest trial court more accessible, trusted, and just? In this episode, LA Superior Court CEO, David Slayton joins hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget Mary McCormack to unpack how generative AI is already reshaping court services—and why “effective” beats “efficient.” We explore Court Help on LACourt.gov, change-management tactics that stick, and the delicate balance between moving too slowly (and getting overwhelmed) and too fast (and losing public trust). Practical, candid, and grounded in real operations, this conversation offers a roadmap for legal leaders navigating AI.Topics covered:Court Help and responsible gen-AI designServing self-represented litigants at scaleChange management in high-trust institutionsRisks of moving too slow—or too fast—on AIPredictive analytics, triage, and future workflows Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Live from MAICON 2025: Building AAA’s First AI Arbitrator 28.10.2025 27хв

Can an AI fairly decide a dispute—and win party trust? Recorded live at MAICON 2025, this episode dives into the American Arbitration Association’s first AI arbitrator, a documents-only two-party workflow designed for construction cases with a human in the loop. AAA President Bridget McCormack explains the multi-agent architecture, why procedural fairness matters, and how the tool reflects a century of arbitration expertise. We also unpack OpenAI’s Sora 2 rollout, likeness/IP controversies, and the shift from opt-out to permission-first models—and what deepfakes mean for courts and the rule of law.Topics covered:How AAA’s AI arbitrator works (and when to use it)Human oversight, speed, and cost gainsSora 2’s IP backlash and policy reversalDeepfakes, watermarking limits, and courtroom risk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How AI Is Changing Legal Education with Dyane O’Leary and Jonah Perlin 14.10.2025 42хв

How should law schools teach judgment, writing, and readiness in the age of AI? Georgetown’s Jonah Perlin and Suffolk’s Dyane O’Leary join hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack to explore how generative AI is reshaping legal education—from 1L writing and grading to ethics, policy, and professional judgment.They share real classroom experiments that reveal how professors are using AI to teach reasoning and curiosity, and how schools are balancing innovation with integrity through redesigned assessments and “AI literacy” curricula. The conversation also dives into multimodal and voice-based tools transforming how students learn, communicate, and prepare for modern practice.Topics covered:How AI is transforming legal writing and pedagogyGrading, integrity, and fairness in the AI eraWhat “practice-ready” means for future lawyersThe rise of multimodal and voice-driven learningBuilding judgment and curiosity through AI Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can Judges Use AI? Inside the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Interim Policy 30.09.2025 36хв

Can state‑court judges safely use generative AI? In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack unpack Pennsylvania’s interim policy for courts—what it allows, what it restricts, and how human review and confidentiality guardrails work in practice. They compare real AI workflows from their own desks—editing a book with Claude and turning a long essay into slides—and dissect the “AI pilots are failing” storyline versus the reality of high adoption and slower ROI. You’ll also hear why court labs, enterprise access, and judge‑focused guidelines matter now.We cover:Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s interim AI policy and guardrailsAI Aha!: Claude as editor; ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini for slidesMIT “AI pilots” narrative vs. actual adoption and ROI timelinesCourt “AI labs,” enterprise licenses, and chatbots for self‑represented litigantsMichigan pilot with Learned Hand and practical guidance for judgesEpisode Highlights:02:56 AI Aha! Moments10:10 What Just Happened: MIT Report21:55 Main Topic: PA Supreme Court’s Interim AI policy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.