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 guardrails
• AI Aha!: Claude as editor; ChatGPT vs. Claude vs. Gemini for slides
• MIT “AI pilots” narrative vs. actual adoption and ROI timelines
• Court “AI labs,” enterprise licenses, and chatbots for self‑represented litigants
• Michigan pilot with Learned Hand and practical guidance for judges

Episode Highlights:

02:56 AI Aha! Moments

10:10 What Just Happened: MIT Report

21:55 Main Topic: PA Supreme Court’s Interim AI policy

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What does it take to modernize a 100-year-old legal institution and prepare lawyers for the AI era? In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack sit down with Jae Um (Lumio) and Ilona Logvinova (Cleary Gottlieb) to explore how legal organizations move from AI experiments to real impact. From acquisitions and change management to digital agents and legal education reform, this conversation breaks down what actually drives innovation in law.

We cover:

• Practical AI workflows and tools in legal practice
• Culture, incentives, and strategy in firm innovation
• Inorganic vs. organic growth (acquisitions and beyond)
• Digital agents and the future of early-career legal work
• How law schools must evolve for AI-native practice

Episode Highlights:

02:15 AI Aha! Moments

10:39 Inorganic Growth & Innovation Strategy

32:50 Law Schools & Learning in the AI Era

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Is GPT-5 good enough to practice law? This episode dives into OpenAI’s newest model and its implications for legal practice, including how it compares to previous models and where human oversight remains essential. Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack also unpack a groundbreaking report from IAALS on regulating AI in legal services, shifting the focus from lawyers to consumers.

Episode Highlights:

(2:22) AI Aha! Moments: AI and human error in court

(12:52) What Just Happened: Key features and legal benchmarks of GPT-5

(20:50) IAALS phased approach to AI oversight

(28:13) How courts and communities are adapting to AI tools

Read the IAALS report on regulating AI in law here: https://iaals.du.edu/sites/default/files/documents/publications/ulr_regulating_ai.pdf

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What happens when a litigator and a quantum physicist build a law firm from the ground up with AI at its core? In this episode, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack speak with Phillip Young and Daniel Long of Garfield Law, the UK’s first fully AI-native, regulator-approved law firm. They share how Garfield streamlines small debt claims, navigated unprecedented regulatory scrutiny, and solved AI hallucination risks with a hybrid expert system. Along the way, they explore what AI integration could mean for lawyers, courts, and access to justice worldwide.

Episode Highlights:

(2:38) AI Aha! Moments: Using Claude as a Lifestyle Assistant

(5:01) Origin of Garfield Law

(13:00) Regulation, Ethics, and Tech Safeguards

(26:07) The Future of Law

Topics include:

-Building the Garfield AI platform

-Winning regulatory approval in the UK

-Tackling hallucination in legal AI

-Future of API-integrated courts

-Implications for legal training and the profession

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Could AI make you a better advocate than a lawyer?

In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore real-world stories of self-represented litigants using AI tools to win cases, plus a bold proposal to allow “robot lawyers” in appellate arguments. From century rides powered by ChatGPT to experiments in legal education innovation, this conversation tackles the evolving role of AI in justice.

Episode Highlights

(3:02) AI Aha! Moments: Fitness and food ordering hacks

(7:41) ChatGPT Agents explained

(19:37) Self-represented litigant wins appeal with AI

(22:17) Adam Unikowski's jaw-dropping experiment

Topics covered:

– A self-represented litigant’s AI-assisted appellate victory

– Adam Unikowsky’s robot lawyer experiment at SCOTUS

– ChatGPT Agents and task-based automation

– AI for legal research, CLE, and gamification

– Why courts should pilot AI-supported oral arguments

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What happens when a top litigation firm lets lawyers truly experiment with AI?

In this episode, Jen and Bridget sit down with Jen Reeves and Chris Kercher of Quinn Emanuel to explore how one of the world’s top law firms is embracing AI from the inside out. From launching a grassroots Skunk Works group to using Claude and ChatGPT in high-stakes litigation, they share how culture, leadership, and curiosity are driving real results. Perfect for lawyers, tech leaders, and anyone wondering how AI is actually being used in practice today.

Episode Highlights

(2:17) AI Aha! Moments: ChatGPT Planned the Roadtrip and Made the Punchlist.

(5:13) How Quinn Emanuel Built an AI Culture That Stuck

(15:40) The Mindset Shift That Unlocks AI Use

(23:54) AI for Small Firms: Where to Start and What to Skip

Topics include:

– Building an AI culture without mandates

– Using Claude to manage real litigation workflows

– Why context beats prompts

– Advice for small firms and solos

– How AI is making law more fun (and faster)

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What happens when the apprenticeship model breaks?

In this episode, Jen and Bridget explore how AI is reshaping legal education and associate training, from the classroom to the law firm. Sparked by a conversation by Wharton professor Ethan Mollick, the hosts ask: If the old model of learning-by-osmosis no longer works, what comes next? 

Episode Highlights

(3:07) Bridget’s latest AI Aha!: Prototyping a GPT to simulate arbitration coaching scenarios

(5:18) Jen’s latest AI Aha!: Using ChatGPT’s deep research mode to enhance citation checking and targeted teaching

(7:40) Ethan Mollick’s provocative claim: “The apprenticeship model broke this summer” and what it means for legal training

(19:41) Harvey AI partners with LexisNexis and iManage. Is this the tipping point for generative AI in law?

Key Questions We Explore:

• How can AI help rebuild legal training systems from the ground up?
• What role might custom GPTs play in associate development and coaching?
• How do we ensure AI-driven tools support access to justice, not just Big Law?

Keywords: legal education, associate training, apprenticeship, GPTs, coaching, arbitration, Harvey AI, LexisNexis, iManage, legal workflows, custom GPTs, legal AI, access to justice, Ethan Mollick, pro bono innovation

This podcast is presented by the American Arbitration Association with Creative Lawyers, and distributed by the Practising Law Institute - bridging world-class legal education with the global leader in dispute resolution. Produced by Aaron Tran. 

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In Episode 27, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack kick off a new chapter with a fresh name — AI and the Future of Law — and a new presenting partnership with the Practising Law Institute (PLI), in collaboration with the American Arbitration Association. The rebrand reflects their evolving mission while keeping the heart of the podcast intact: accessible, thought-provoking insights on how AI is reshaping the legal profession.

Listeners can expect the same candid co-host dialogue, plus a broader range of formats, including expert interviews. In this bite-sized bonus episode, Jen and Bridget celebrate the new launch and share personal “AI Aha!” moments — from ChatGPT-powered tick identification in Michigan to motivational coaching for long-distance runs.

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What does it mean when AI outperforms law students? In this episode, Jen and Bridget explore a groundbreaking study showing that OpenAI’s latest model, O3, earned A+ grades on actual law school finals — outperforming top students in multiple subjects. But that’s just one part of the story.

Episode Highlights

(3:02) Bridget’s latest “AI Aha!” — using ChatGPT to design and facilitate a 300-person workshop in under 60 minutes

(7:13) Jen’s latest “AI Aha!” — leveraging Deep Research to uncover funding leads and pitch differentiators for a nonprofit project

(11:53) Meta’s $14.8 billion investment in Scale AI and the race for superintelligence

(18:22) OpenAI’s new integrations with Gmail, Slack, and Asana — and what that means for legal workflows and privacy

(23:02) A new study shows ChatGPT earning A+ grades on law school finals — prompting urgent questions about legal education, assessment, and what skills truly matter

Key Questions We Explore:

- Are traditional law exams still relevant?

- How should law schools and employers adapt?

- What new skills matter most in an AI-enabled legal future?

#ChatGPT #LegalTech #FutureOfLaw #AIinEducation #OpenAI #MetaAI #LegalInnovation #2030VisionPodcast

AI and the Future of Law is your essential podcast for understanding how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the legal industry. Hosted by Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard, each episode delves into cutting-edge technologies, trends, and strategies, providing invaluable insights for legal professionals, tech enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the future of law. Join us as we navigate the evolving landscape of AI, empowering the legal community to thrive in an era of unprecedented innovation.

Produced by Aaron Tran for the American Arbitration Association

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode Highlights

(03:27) Bridget’s AI Aha: Building “Bridget’s Second Brain” using ChatGPT and Microsoft tools

(11:05) Jen’s AI Aha: AI itineraries, sci-fi style research, and nail polish via ChatGPT

(17:30) What Just Happened: The firehose of announcements from Google I/O

(24:28) Claude Opus 4 and the “grown, not built” philosophy at Anthropic

(37:59) Microsoft’s AI plumbing: Connecting court systems and scaling impact

(41:08) OpenAI & Jony Ive: Rethinking hardware for a world beyond screens

Episode Description

Is it possible to keep up with AI when the pace of innovation feels like a firehose? Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack recap an extraordinary week of AI announcements from Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic—and explain why every lawyer should be paying attention. From Claude Opus 4’s “grown, not built” philosophy to Sam Altman’s $6.5B play to redesign hardware with Jony Ive, the future of AI is arriving fast—and it's already changing how legal professionals work.

Bridget shares how ChatGPT helped her build a personal “Second Brain” for organizing professional chaos, while Jen experiments with AI trip planning, voice-mode research, and on-the-go translation. They also dive into the generational shift in how engineers and researchers think about innovation—“We’ll solve for that”—and why the legal world needs to adopt that mindset.

If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to explore AI tools, this is your wake-up call. Because the most important takeaway from this episode? You’re not too late. But you don’t want to fall further behind.

Key Takeaways

• Google isn’t just adding AI—they’re rebuilding their entire ecosystem around it. With Gemini integrated into search, docs, and even hardware, the tools lawyers already use are becoming AI-native by default.
• Claude Opus 4 Isn’t Just Smart—It’s Reflective: With its “grown, not built” mindset, Claude challenges how we understand AI. It’s not about perfect outputs—it’s about persistent, deep reasoning over time, something law needs but rarely builds for.
• Microsoft’s AI Infrastructure Fix: Microsoft’s announcements focused on data plumbing—connecting siloed systems in courts and governments. It may not be sexy, but it’s foundational for real change in justice delivery.
• OpenAI + Jony Ive = No More Screens?: With a $6.5B move to reimagine AI hardware, OpenAI is chasing the next interface revolution—wearables, voice-first tools, and frictionless access to intelligence, far beyond the browser.
• We’ll Solve for That” Is the Mindset Law Needs: Engineers assume problems are solvable. Lawyers assume problems are risks. That cultural mismatch is why the legal field lags in AI adoption—and what needs to change first.
• It’s Not Too Late. Catch Up Fast: The AI tools are here, and most people haven’t used them. Starting today puts you just weeks behind the front of the pack—not years. There’s still time to lead, not lag.

Keywords

AI in law, OpenAI, Anthropic, Claude Opus 4, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, Jony Ive, ChatGPT voice mode, legal innovation, legal tech, AI, court system integration, AI safety, AGI, future of work, AI strategy, innovation mindset

2030 Vision: AI and the Future of Law is your essential podcast for understanding how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the legal industry. Hosted by Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard, each episode delves into cutting-edge technologies, trends, and strategies, providing invaluable insights for legal professionals, tech enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the future of law. Join us as we navigate the evolving landscape of AI, empowering the legal community to thrive in an era of unprecedented innovation.

Produced by Aaron Tran for the American Arbitration Association

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.