Legal Talk | Harnessing data and AI to enrich legal workflows - in association with Sandstone

Legal Talk | Carla Swansburg, CEO – ClearyX

In this episode of ADB Insights – The Legal Innovation Forum Podcast, Andrew Bowyer, Founder & CEO of the Legal Innovation Forum, sits down with Carla Swansburg, CEO of ClearyX, to explore how legal services are being transformed by artificial intelligence, alternative delivery models, and a growing demand for innovation across the legal industry. Drawing on a career that spans private practice, in-house leadership, legal technology, and alternative legal services, Carla shares her unique perspective on the evolution of legal work and the opportunities emerging for both law firms and corporate legal departments. She reflects on her journey into legal innovation and discusses how changing client expectations, technology adoption, and new business models continue to reshape the profession. The conversation examines the evolution of ClearyX, the independent alternative legal services provider owned by Cleary Gottlieb, and its expansion from technology-enabled legal services into AI-powered software development. Carla explains why the organization chose to build its own platform, the challenges many legal departments face in adopting technology, and how ClearyX is helping clients unlock greater value from their contracts, data, and legal operations. Andrew and Carla also explore the changing role of corporate legal departments in an increasingly complex business environment. From enterprise risk management and regulatory compliance to contract intelligence and operational efficiency, they discuss how legal teams can move beyond traditional service models and become more strategic contributors to business performance. The discussion concludes with a forward-looking look at the future of legal services, including the impact of AI on law firms, alternative legal service providers, and in-house teams. Carla shares her views on lawyer training, the evolution of the apprenticeship model, and why the most successful legal organizations will be those that embrace technology while continuing to develop the judgment and expertise that clients value most. For legal leaders navigating rapid technological change, this conversation offers practical insights into innovation, legal operations, and the future of the legal profession.

Legal Leaders | Nadim Baklouti + Rupali Patel Shah – DiliTrust

In this episode of ADB Insights – The Legal Innovation Forum Podcast, Andrew Bowyer, Founder & CEO of the Legal Innovation Forum, sits down with Rupali Patel Shah, Head of Legal Solutions & Alliances for North America at DiliTrust, and Nadim Baklouti, Co-CEO of DiliTrust, to explore how corporate legal departments can build thoughtful AI strategies, strengthen governance, and position themselves for long-term success in an increasingly complex business environment. Drawing from their combined backgrounds in legal operations, in-house counsel, technology, and enterprise software, Rupali and Nadim discuss the growing expectation for legal departments to act as strategic business partners—not just risk mitigators. They examine how legal teams can move beyond reactive workflows and become the “institutional brain” of the organization by leveraging data, processes, and technology to support faster, more informed decision-making. The conversation dives into one of the most pressing topics facing legal leaders today: artificial intelligence. While AI and large language models continue to dominate headlines, Rupali and Nadim emphasize that successful AI adoption starts with strong foundations. They explain why data governance, information management, and connected legal ecosystems are critical prerequisites for unlocking the true value of AI. Andrew, Rupali, and Nadim also explore the concept of an “ERP for Legal”—a fully integrated platform that connects contracts, entities, governance records, matters, and decision-making into a single source of truth. Together, they discuss how this level of connectivity can help legal departments respond more effectively to crises, support enterprise risk management, and create measurable business value. The episode concludes with a forward-looking discussion on the future of legal work, the evolving role of in-house counsel, and why AI should be viewed as a force multiplier rather than a replacement for human judgment. For legal leaders preparing for the next decade of transformation, this conversation offers practical insights into building resilient, data-driven, and innovation-focused legal functions.

Legal Talk | Harnessing data and AI to enrich legal workflows - in association with Sandstone

This episode of ADB Insights - The Legal Innovation Forum Podcast explores how modern data and AI solutions are helping forward-thinking legal departments transform fragmented information into actionable insights. In a dynamic panel discussion, we examine real-world applications of AI that augment legal judgment by surfacing relevant institutional knowledge. Andrew Bowyer, Founder & CEO of ADB Insights is joined by Lily Schurra, Senior Commercial Counsel at Sourcegraph, Kevin Keller, SVP, General Counsel at Forward Networks, and Jessica Nguyen, Chief Strategy & Legal Officer at Sandstone to explore the key challenges and opportunities facing legal departments today in the AI era. Discover how agentic AI can solve legal department pain points by reducing friction and turning institutional data into an intelligent system that drives smarter decision-making, brings context to legal workflows, and provides a sustainable competitive advantage.

Legal Leader | Eric Zaarour – Co-founder, Laurel

In this episode of ADB Insights – The Legal Innovation Forum Podcast, Andrew Bowyer, Founder & CEO of the Legal Innovation Forum, speaks with Eric Zaazour, Co-Founder of Laurel, an AI-powered automation software that helps knowledge workers optimize timekeeping and boost productivity. Eric shares how Laurel uses artificial intelligence to automatically generate accurate time entries while ensuring compliance with outside counsel guidelines. He traces the company’s AI journey since 2017, emphasizing the critical role of data collection and model training in creating more efficient, compliant workflows for law firms and professional services teams. The conversation explores the broader transformation of the legal industry driven by AI — automating low-value tasks, improving accuracy, and freeing professionals to focus on higher-value strategic work. Andrew and Eric discuss how firms must rethink their business models to deliver measurable value beyond the billable hour, exploring approaches such as alternative fee arrangements and outcome-based pricing. Together, they examine how data-driven insights into time usage can inform pricing models, operational decisions, and productivity strategies. Eric also looks ahead to the next wave of innovation, predicting the rise of localized language models and firm-specific AI tools that will redefine efficiency and autonomy across the legal and business landscape. This episode offers a practical and forward-looking view of how AI and data are reshaping professional services — from how time is tracked to how value is measured.

Legal Leader | Monica Zent – Founder & CEO, Zent Law + Managing Director, Law Innovation

In this episode of ADB Insights – The Legal Innovation Forum Podcast, Andrew Bowyer, Founder & CEO of The Legal Innovation Forum, speaks with Monica Zent — entrepreneur, investor, founder of Zent Law and Managing Director, The Law Innovation Agency. Long-time pioneer in alternative legal services. Monica shares her entrepreneurial journey, from building businesses in tech and music to founding Zent Law over two decades ago—at a time when the concept of virtual counsel was still met with skepticism. She reflects on educating clients about flexible legal talent and subscription-based models, laying the foundation for what would become mainstream during the pandemic. Monica discusses her latest venture, SYNWALL, and her philosophy of building teams around quality over quantity. She also provides a candid look at how legal departments are adopting AI and automation, highlighting the challenges of tailoring processes to diverse types of legal work. Together, Andrew and Monica explore the growing complexity of legal operations in a risk-on environment—spanning data security, compliance, and global economic shifts. Monica shares her belief that by 2030, AI will be seamlessly embedded into legal workflows, transforming efficiency and redefining value. They also discuss the evolution of subscription models, the persistence of the billable hour, and the cultural foundations needed to integrate technology successfully. This wide-ranging discussion offers a forward-looking perspective on innovation, risk management, and the future of legal services. Learn more about her work at: • Monica Zent: www.monicazent.com | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/monicazent/ • Venture Legal Newsletter: www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7302735858552446976 • Zent Law Group: www.zentlawgroup.com • Law Innovation Agency: www.lawinnovationagency.com