Pioneers and Pathfinders

We’re excited to welcome back Nicole Bradick, one of our earliest guests on the podcast. Since last we spoke, a lot has changed. Nicole is now global head of innovation at Factor, following the acquisition of her design and development studio, Theory and Principle. She's also an advisor at both Paladin and LEGA, continuing to help push the boundaries of legal tech and justice innovation. In this episode, Nicole talks about the transition of Theory and Principle into Factor, and what that's meant for her work. She also shares why it's important to be a healthy skeptic when it comes to new tech, how generative AI might improve access to justice, and what advice she has for anyone looking to build a career in legal tech. Read the full transcript of the episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_NicoleBradickReturns.pdf

Today, we’re joined by Ian Nelson, co-founder of Hotshot, a video-based learning platform that helps lawyers pick up essential legal, business, and technology skills in a more modern, practical way. Ian started out as a corporate lawyer who quickly found himself drawn to more innovative approaches to legal work. After being inspired by a firm in the UK, he jumped into something totally new—Practical Law—back when the idea of legal know-how resources was still pretty foreign in the US. In our conversation, Ian shares what sparked that leap from practicing law to shaping how lawyers learn. We talk about what it was like introducing Practical Law to a skeptical market, how the pandemic reshaped training at Hotshot, and how younger generations are driving change in legal education. Read the full transcript of the episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_IanNelson.pdf

We're excited to welcome back Maya Markovich, a familiar voice on the podcast and a leading thinker in legal innovation and AI strategy. Since her last appearance with us, Maya has taken on a new role as vice president of the American Arbitration Association Institute, the thought leadership and R&D arm of the AAA-ICDR. She is also still serving as executive director of the Justice Technology Association, advising startups, and writing her monthly Scaling Justice column for Thomson Reuters Institute. In this episode, Maya talks about her new role at the AAA, and how the organization is thinking about innovation—a fascinating case study on change management for a successful longtime organization. We also dig into the uneven landscape of AI oversight in dispute resolution, and hear her take on what's emerging and exciting in the world of justice tech. Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_MayaMarkovichReturns.pdf

Today's guest is Oded Oren, the founder and executive director of Scrutinize, a nonprofit that uses data analytics, AI, and legal research to shed light on complex judicial data. Before starting Scrutinize, Oded was a public defender in the Bronx. While there, he began digging into publicly available court data to spot patterns in how judges were ruling, an approach that soon evolved into the foundation for Scrutinize. In our conversation, Oded shares how his work in the courtroom sparked the idea for the organization, what kind of feedback they've received, and what's next for Scrutinize. We also talk about the challenges and rewards of building something new in the legal space, and the advice he has for others thinking of doing the same. Read the full transcript of this episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_OdedOren.pdf

This week, we're revisiting one of our most compelling conversations—with Damien Riehl, a technology lawyer, coder, and thought leader at the intersection of law and innovation. At the time of our conversation, Damien was vice president and Solutions Champion at vLex. vLex recently made headlines with its acquisition by Clio, which is a move that signals a new chapter in the evolution of legal technology. So, we thought now is an apt time to replay this conversation with Damien. His career has spanned roles at Thomson, Reuters, Fastcase, and the SALI Alliance. Our discussion touched on a wide range of topics: his early experience as a tech attorney, the complexities of confidentiality and legal AI, music copyright, and the enduring value of a liberal arts education. We hope you enjoy this encore episode as much as we did. Our guest today is Damien Riehl, vice president and Solutions Champion at vLex, a platform using artificial intelligence solutions to streamline workflows and provide lawyers with greater access to knowledge and resources. Damien was a tech attorney for more than 10 years when he made the leap to Thomson Reuters as Senior Product Strategist, where he developed innovative legal technology involving artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. Inspired by Ed Walters’ efforts to democratize the law, Damien later joined Fastcase, where he served various roles building out legal tools and systems. In his current position at vLex, Damien helps lead the design, development, and expansion of products. Additionally, Damien is part of the leadership team at the Standards Advancement for the Legal Industry (SALI) Alliance. He is also co-founder of All the Music LLC, a project that involved copyrighting 471 billion melodies and placing them in the public domain. In 2019, Damien delivered a TED Talk in which he describes this process and offers a new way to handle copyright infringement lawsuits in music. In today’s conversation, Damien discusses vLex's newest product—Vincent AI, his decision to leave practice and join Thomson Reuters, the genesis of All the Music, and the future of teaching legal research. Read the full transcript of the episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_Bestof_DamienRiehl.pdf