How Law Firms Overcome AI Adoption Barriers

How Law Firms Overcome AI Adoption Barriers

How do you drive widespread AI adoption in a law firm, and how do you navigate the thin line between a quick weekend proof-of-concept and enterprise-grade deployment? In this episode, Tim Fox, Chief Data and AI Officer at Ogletree Deakins, shares his unique journey from mailman to litigator, AI co-founder, and now C-suite strategist. Tim explains how Ogletree Deakins moved past the initial AI hype cycle to achieve an impressive 70% to 80% monthly active user adoption rate among its attorneys across their platforms. He walks through the operational realities of scaling software, explaining why relying purely on vibe coding misses the critical enterprise governance and security frameworks required in a regulated legal environment. Tim also unpacks the false binary of buying vs. building legal tech, how to effectively partner with vendors to ensure mutual success, and why law firm leadership teams must actively experiment with AI tools to truly understand their long-term strategic impact. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:50) Mailman transitioning to legal AI leader (06:09) Transforming firm data into strategic advantage (07:45) Settlement data extraction insights (09:09) Leveraging external data for competitive advantage (10:32) Four key barriers to AI adoption (15:31) Training staff for effective AI usage (18:55) Buy and build AI strategy explained (21:33) How to run vendor demos successfully (25:36) Managing legal tech ecosystem sprawl (36:27) Regulatory data insights for labor law (39:10) Sequencing data strategy and governance Connect with our guest: * Tim Fox on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-fox-legal/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-fox-legal/]  * Learn more about Ogletree Deakins: https://ogletree.com/ [https://ogletree.com/]  Connect with Tom: * Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/]  Learn more about Entegrata: https://www.entegrata.com [https://www.entegrata.com]

Five Years In: Why Munger Moved Beyond Their Homegrown Lakehouse

How do you build a law firm data platform that actually gets used, and know when it’s time to evolve beyond it? In this episode, Reanna Martinez, Director of Innovation, Systems, and Data at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, shares the firm’s multi-year journey building a modern, cloud-based data lakehouse on Azure. From standardizing data at the point of entry to consolidating employee, financial, and matter data into a centralized platform, Reanna explains how Munger transformed fragmented information into a trusted enterprise asset. She walks through why the firm initially chose to build in-house, how governance and security shaped every architectural decision, and what five years of hands-on experience taught her team about scalability, resourcing, and long-term sustainability. Reanna also breaks down the signals that indicated it was time to evolve toward a purpose-built data platform, and what other firms should understand before embarking on a similar path. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:50) Reanna Martinez’s career path into systems and data (03:52) Establishing a firmwide data foundation at Munger (05:09) Governance constraints that shaped innovation decisions (06:41) Creating a centralized platform to eliminate data silos (09:35) Why the firm chose to build its platform internally (12:12) Key lessons learned from building a homegrown lakehouse (21:53) How AI changes expectations for secure data platforms (28:52) Reflections on data access, insights, and evolving delivery Connect with our guest: * Reanna Martinez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reannamartinez/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reannamartinez/]  * Learn more about Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP: https://www.mto.com/ [https://www.mto.com/]  Connect with Tom: * Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/]  * Learn more about Entegrata: https://www.entegrata.com [https://www.entegrata.com]

How Ballard Spahr Modernized Analytics from Data Warehouses to Lakehouses

How do you turn legal data into a modern platform that powers analytics, self-service, and AI across one of the nation’s most innovative law firms? In this episode, Lisa Mayo Haynes, Senior Director of Technology Innovation, and Ian Lopez, Manager of Technology and Innovative Solutions at Ballard Spahr LLP, share how the firm modernized its data warehouse into a lakehouse that unites structured and unstructured data: powering real-time dashboards, predictive insights, and generative AI tools like Ask Ellis and Ballard X-Ray. They outline how Ballard Spahr built a trusted data foundation that drives adoption and measurable impact through accurate, effectively-dated data, secure access, and a shift from reactive to predictive analytics. Lisa and Ian also discuss how their team built data confidence across the firm: teaching data literacy, simplifying access, and scaling early wins into lasting transformation. From major time savings to AI tools that free attorneys for higher-value work, they show how Ballard Spahr is turning information into a future-ready, trusted data ecosystem. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (00:32) Meet the innovators: Lisa Mayo Haynes and Ian Lopez (02:30) Lisa's journey: From developer to director of technology innovation (03:52) Ian's path: Discovering the power of analytics (05:43) The importance of accurate data (08:46) Transitioning to a modern data platform (10:23) Cross-departmental collaboration and challenges (12:22) Predictive analytics and client value (22:12) Lessons learned and future directions (25:09) Building data confidence in partnerships (27:42) Implementing effective data governance (30:01) Proud achievements in AI and data integration (36:17) Adoption metrics and ROI (41:58) Future of AI and data in legal firms Connect with our guests: * Lisa Mayo Haynes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisammayohaynes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisammayohaynes/] * Ian Lopez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-brooks-lopez/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-brooks-lopez/] * Learn more about Ballard Spahr LLP: https://www.morganlewis.com/ [https://www.morganlewis.com/] Connect with Tom: * Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/]  * Learn more about Entegrata: https://www.entegrata.com [https://www.entegrata.com]

From Pricing Models to BI Dashboards: How Morgan Lewis Operationalizes Data

How do you turn legal data into trusted insight across one of the world’s largest law firms? In this episode, Jennifer Mapp, Senior Director of Data Management and Analytics at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, shares how her team built a firmwide data foundation that empowers attorneys and business leaders to make faster, smarter decisions. From launching business intelligence dashboards that replaced hours of manual reporting to expanding the firm’s knowledge management program into a structured data governance model, Jennifer explains how credibility, collaboration, and consistency turned raw data into real value. She walks through how Morgan Lewis connects internal and external data to create unified profiles for over 15,000 cases. Jennifer also breaks down how the firm measures success (adoption, quality, and attorney feedback), the importance of starting small instead of waiting for perfect data, and how cross-functional collaboration is setting the stage for responsible AI readiness across the firm. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:33) Jennifer's journey into legal data (04:39) The importance of data quality and adoption (13:35) Implementing business intelligence dashboards (16:17) Curating metadata for enhanced insights (20:28) Measuring impact and adoption (22:41) Challenges and lessons in data governance (29:10) Buy vs. Build: Strategic decisions (31:17) Future of data, analytics, and AI in law firms (34:04) Practical advice for data strategy Connect with our guest: * Jennifer Mapp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-mapp-mba-81890b7/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-mapp-mba-81890b7/] * Learn more about Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP: https://www.morganlewis.com/ [https://www.morganlewis.com/] Connect with Tom: * Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/]  * Learn more about Entegrata: https://www.entegrata.com [https://www.entegrata.com]

Sailing Through Uncertainty: Building the Law Firm Lakehouse

What makes a modern data platform actually work inside a law firm? In this episode, Mark Thorogood, Director of Enterprise Data Operations & Software Engineering at Perkins Coie LLP, breaks down how his team moved beyond on-prem constraints to a DIY lakehouse and logical data fabric that unify insights across the firm. Drawing on lessons from the army and time at sea, Mark explains why standards, simplicity, and focusing on “critical data elements” beat boiling the ocean, and how a business glossary (not just a data dictionary) turns data into decisions. Mark also shares the nuts and bolts: Databricks and Microsoft Fabric on Delta/Parquet, Denodo for virtualization, and Power BI on the front end, plus the outcomes that matter (costs cut to one-fifteenth, 12× more finished rows, and cycle times moving from months to sprints). We get into API realities (why you’ll cache), medallion-style layers (including their “copper” tier), portfolio-level budgeting beyond matter records, and what’s next with agentic AI producing defensible, explainable analyses across practice groups. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:34) Mark's career journey (02:48) Lessons from the Army and sailing (05:09) Leadership and team building (06:21) The importance of data (08:27) Building a data platform (12:52) Implementing a lakehouse (16:03) Architecture inspiration and choices (17:47) Business glossary vs. Data dictionary (22:03) Challenges in scaling and API performance (23:24) Utilizing API data for enrichment (26:37) Building and managing a data team (28:52) Client portfolio budgets and AI integration (30:43) Future of data analytics and AI in legal (35:18) Virtualization and semantic layers (36:50) Resistance to change and overcoming it (38:57) Practical tips for data platform transition Connect with our guest: * Mark Thorogood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/methorogood/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/methorogood/]  * Learn more about Perkins Coie LLP: https://perkinscoie.com/ [https://perkinscoie.com/]  Connect with Tom: * Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/]  * Learn more about Entegrata: https://www.entegrata.com [https://www.entegrata.com]