Legal Tech StartUp Focus Podcast

When you're a patent attorney facing the challenge of creating high-quality patents in half the time you once had, technology isn't just a luxury—it's survival. FX Leduc, co-founder and CEO of DeepIP (https://www.deepip.ai), joins Charlie Uniman to reveal how artificial intelligence transforms intellectual property practice from the ground up. Patent practitioners who once had 40 hours to draft applications now operate under 20-hour constraints. DeepIP addresses this pressure by providing an AI assistant that saves attorneys 20-50% of their drafting time while actually improving patent quality. Among the features that make DeepIP's approach to patent drafting unique? First, Deep IP's tech integrates directly within Microsoft Word, eliminating disruptive application switching. Second, the tech creates an iterative process where attorneys maintain complete control. The conversation takes a fascinating turn when FX explains how DeepIP handles office actions by connecting with USPTO file wrappers to analyze rejections and identify effective counterarguments. This capability becomes increasingly crucial as patent offices worldwide develop their own AI tools to generate automated rejections, creating what FX describes as an urgent need for law firms to adopt similar technologies or risk falling behind. Looking toward the future, FX highlights two key AI developments transforming the field: agentic AI, which can navigate complex workflows with semi-autonomous capabilities, and personalization, which adapts to an attorney's distinctive drafting style or client-specific requirements. These advancements represent not just efficiency gains but a fundamental shift in how patents are created and prosecuted. By addressing the unique challenges of intellectual property practice, DeepIP exemplifies how specialized legal technology can deliver genuine value. Whether you're a patent attorney, an IP professional, or a legal innovator generally, this episode offers essential insights into how AI is rapidly becoming not just an advantage but a necessity in intellectual property law.

The immigration legal landscape is shifting dramatically, creating unprecedented challenges for attorneys navigating complex cases under heightened scrutiny. Enter CaseBlink (https://www.caseblink.com), an innovative AI-powered platform transforming how immigration lawyers handle their caseloads. Co-founders Khalil Zlaoui (CEO) and Tina Zedginidze (COO) join us to unveil how their technology helps immigration attorneys spend much less time on routine aspects of case preparation. With most immigration lawyers working on a flat fee basis, this efficiency translates directly to improved margins, increased capacity, and potentially greater access to justice for clients. CaseBlink's three-pillar approach – document understanding, case research, and drafting – tackles the most time-consuming elements of immigration casework. CaseBlink's AI reads and extracts information from complex technical documents, conducts independent research based on visa requirements and regulations, and assembles comprehensive petitions – all while keeping attorneys firmly in control of case strategy. What makes this particularly valuable now? Recent political developments have significantly increased both the volume of immigration cases and the level of scrutiny they receive. Attorneys find themselves overwhelmed not just by more clients seeking help, but by the need to produce increasingly robust documentation to withstand heightened examination. CaseBlink enables lawyers to focus on high-value strategic work rather than administrative tasks. The founders share fascinating insights about their journey, from leveraging their professional networks for early adoption to participating in an accelerator program that helped these technical founders develop crucial business skills. Their experience offers valuable lessons for legal tech entrepreneurs about testing markets, building confidence, and refining your pitch. Listen now to discover how technology is helping attorneys work more efficiently while maintaining the essential human elements that make good legal representation possible.

What happens when a venture capitalist with CIO experience meets the evolving world of legal technology? Yousuf Khan, Partner at Ridge Ventures (https://ridge.vc), brings a refreshing perspective on what makes legal tech startups truly investable in today's market.   Our conversation reveals why Ridge Ventures takes the unusual step of including customer introduction targets directly in their term sheets, creating genuine accountability between investors and founders. Drawing from his experience as a former CIO who worked closely with legal departments, Yousuf explains how he developed empathy for legal professionals' technology challenges and access to a valuable network of decision-makers.   We explore the unique advantage legal tech founders have when they come from the legal profession. As Yousuf puts it, "Being able to articulate that pain point, being able to talk about the domain, is how you build a connection with your customers." This authentic understanding creates an immediate credibility that resonates with customers and investors.   We next examine how AI is reshaping the legal technology landscape. Beyond productivity gains, AI promises substantive improvements in legal outcomes, potentially creating a future where lawyers who don't adopt certain technologies face ethical and competitive disadvantages. As Yousuf memorably quips, "The jury's still out," but market expectations are rapidly shifting.   Yousuf offers practical wisdom for founders seeking investment: understand your specific market segments, demonstrate how your product will evolve over time, and focus relentlessly on customer success. "The only mode a legal tech founder needs to be in is customer mode," he emphasizes, cutting through trendy debates about founder versus manager mindsets.   Join us for this insightful conversation about building successful legal tech companies in a time of unprecedented technological change and opportunity. Whether you're a founder, investor, or legal professional curious about innovation, you'll gain valuable perspective on where this dynamic industry is heading.

What if raising capital for your startup could be 10x cheaper and dramatically faster? Anthony Rose, founder and CEO of SeedLegals (https://seedlegals.com), reveals how the SeedLegals platform has revolutionized fundraising for UK startups and why he's now bringing this game-changing solution to the US market. This conversation sheds light on some hidden pitfalls of startup seed and Series A fundraising that can cost founders dearly. Among those pitfalls are hazards that can lurk in those seemingly simple YC SAFEs (where, for example, conversion mathematics often result in founders unknowingly giving away significantly more equity than anticipated). We also explore why US startups typically pay tens of thousands of dollars (or more) for priced funding rounds when SeedLegals can deliver the industry-standard documents (together with additional services) starting at a fraction of what's typically charged. Beyond cost savings, Anthony shares how SeedLegals addresses the fundamental power imbalance between founders and investors. Based on access to data from thousands of funding rounds, SeedLegals empowers founders with knowledge, particularly when it comes to knowing which deal terms are genuinely market standard and where founders should push back on investor-offered terms. By streamlining the legal aspects of a founder's startup fundraising journey, that founder can devote more energy to what truly matters – creating products customers love. The conversation also offers invaluable business advice for founders, such as the importance of focusing on customer-driven development. For example, Anthony suggests getting out from behind screens to validate ideas directly with potential users. As Anthony puts it, "Success isn't just building and shipping something; success is also people wanting what you've built."  Whether you're raising your seed round or looking to optimize your Series A, this episode provides founders with the insider knowledge they need to navigate fundraising more efficiently and avoid costly mistakes that could haunt them (and their cap table) for years to come.

Introducing the first in a series of podcast episodes from Legal Tech StartUp Focus that feature legal tech power users.  Discover the transformative power of legal technology with Karl Seelbach, the visionary litigator who co-founded the Austin, Texas-based Doyle Seelbach law firm (https://www.doyleseelbach.com) and Skribe (https://skribe.ai), a legal tech startup committed to revolutionizing depositions and enhancing litigation practice efficiency. Listen as Karl shares his journey from the courtroom to the forefront of legal tech innovation. Learn how Karl's passion for personal injury defense and drive to modernize legal processes sparked the creation of Skribe.   Get ready to witness how a legal tech power user like Karl can unlock the potential of legal tech (especially AI's use in legal settings. This episode unpacks how pushing legal tech to greater limits can transform mundane tasks like invoice appeals and billable hour tracking. See how a power user of AI (and legal tech more generally) can improve financial outcomes and save valuable time. We also delve into the critical balance of privacy and accuracy when integrating AI into legal research and the robust discussions surrounding its capabilities.    As we look to the horizon, the episode imagines a future where technology continuously reshapes the legal landscape (e.g., envision virtual and augmented realities redefining how we conduct negotiations and make courtroom appearances). This discussion emphasizes the importance of embracing technological collaboration within the industry through conferences and community interactions. Join us in this insightful conversation on how legal tech use can assist lawyers in staying competitive and even help lawyers become more inspired by their day-to-day work in a world of ever-evolving legal service delivery methods.