As the legal profession enters 2026, the conversation about AI is shifting. It is no longer about awareness or early adoption. It is about measurable impact.

In this episode of AI and the Future of Law, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Zach Abramowitz for a legal market check-in on AI agents, ROI, competitive pressure, and the widening divide between AI superusers and skeptics.

They discuss:

• The shift from AI assistants to AI agents
• Why 2026 is about measuring ROI, not experimentation
• The rise of AI-first firms and competitive pressure on traditional models
• Venture capital, private equity, and renewed conversations about external ownership
• The growing mindset divide within the profession

AI is no longer a side experiment in legal. It is becoming embedded in strategy, pricing, and firm structure.

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What happens when lawyers stop waiting for permission and start building with AI? Jen and Bridget explore the rise of creative associates and what tools like Claude Code reveal about the future of legal work. From agentic AI systems that refactor how coding gets done to junior lawyers who “vibe-code” solutions to everyday firm problems, this conversation looks at how innovation is increasingly bottom-up in law firms.

Topics covered include:

• Claude Code and agentic AI for knowledge work
• Why creative associates are driving real change
• Vibe coding and lowering the barrier to innovation
• Cultural shifts law firms need to support experimentation
• What this means for junior lawyers and legal training

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Can lawyers really trust AI—and what does “trust” mean in modern legal practice?

In this episode of AI and the Future of Law, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Gabe Pereyra, President and Co-Founder of Harvey AI, to explore how generative AI is moving from a productivity tool to core infrastructure for law firms.

Gabe explains how leading firms are deploying AI at scale, why hallucinations are no longer the central concern, and how governance, auditability, and human-in-the-loop systems shape real trust in legal AI. The conversation also dives into the future of the billable hour, lawyer training, and why AI is best understood as leverage—not labor replacement.

In this episode:

• When lawyers will trust AI systems
• Human-in-the-loop governance and supervision
• AI as law firm infrastructure, not just software
• Why the billable hour isn’t disappearing
• Training lawyers faster in an AI-first era

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Private equity interest in U.S. law firms is accelerating, and AI is a major reason why. In this Season 3 kickoff, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore how ethics rules collide with the capital demands of AI, and why the real story isn’t short-term profits but long-term investment in legal infrastructure. They unpack Rule 5.4, the rise of the MSO model as a workaround for outside investment, and what “ownership” really means when control over data, technology, and professional judgment is at stake.

The conversation also examines emerging judicial approaches to AI disclosure and what they signal for competence, evidence, and governance as AI becomes foundational to legal practice.

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What will AI actually change in law by 2026—and how should firms, courts, and legal institutions prepare? In this season two finale of AI and the Future of Law, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack step back from the hype cycle to offer grounded, practical predictions about the next few years.

They explore Google’s Gemini 3 and the shift from chatbots to agentic systems, the “platformization” of legal services driven by MSOs, ALSPs, and private equity, and the new talent demands this creates inside law firms. Along the way, they introduce ideas like AI legal twins, AI co-mediators, and opt-in court pilots for low-stakes disputes—and ask what leaders across the justice system should be planning for now.

Topics Covered:

• How Gemini 3 and agentic AI systems move beyond simple chatbots
• Why private equity, MSOs, and ALSPs may “platformize” legal services
• The new talent equation: from 1Ls to AI leaders in the C-suite
• Provocative ideas like AI legal twins and AI co-mediators
• How courts might experiment with opt-in AI pilots for low-stakes cases

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How can AI expand access to justice for the millions who can’t afford a lawyer? In this episode, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack speak with Sateesh Nori and Tom Martin about AI tools reshaping legal help, including Depositron for security deposit disputes and Law Answers AI for jurisdiction-specific guidance.

They discuss Sateesh’s journey from housing court to AI innovation, Tom’s work building scalable solutions for the public, and the profession’s ongoing debate over “second-tier justice.” What emerges is a compelling vision for AI as a bridge—not a barrier—to legal help.

Topics:

• How AI is transforming access to justice

• Why the legal system leaves most people without help

• The creation of Depositron and LawAnswers AI

• “Second-tier justice” vs. real-world legal outcomes

• Moonshot visions for AI-enabled legal service delivery

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Is AI making legal writing too easy—and too cheap? In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore how generative AI tools are reshaping writing as a professional skill. They discuss the paper “Making Talk Cheap,” which argues that when anyone can generate polished text, writing loses its value as a signal of skill, effort, or merit. What does this mean for hiring, advancement, and lawyering in the AI era? Plus, they unpack a new Wharton study showing how enterprise AI use is soaring—with real ROI—while sharing personal stories of AI’s practical impact.

Topics Covered:

• Wharton’s 2025 report on enterprise AI adoption and ROI (vs. the “failed pilots” narrative)
• How generative AI is leveling the playing field in writing quality
• The Making Talk Cheap study on devalued written work and hiring signals
• Implications for legal hiring, promotion, and skill development in the AI era

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Can AI make the nation’s largest trial court more accessible, trusted, and just? In this episode, LA Superior Court CEO, David Slayton joins hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget Mary McCormack to unpack how generative AI is already reshaping court services—and why “effective” beats “efficient.” 

We explore Court Help on LACourt.gov, change-management tactics that stick, and the delicate balance between moving too slowly (and getting overwhelmed) and too fast (and losing public trust). Practical, candid, and grounded in real operations, this conversation offers a roadmap for legal leaders navigating AI.

Topics covered:

• Court Help and responsible gen-AI design
• Serving self-represented litigants at scale
• Change management in high-trust institutions
• Risks of moving too slow—or too fast—on AI
• Predictive analytics, triage, and future workflows

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Can an AI fairly decide a dispute—and win party trust? Recorded live at MAICON 2025, this episode dives into the American Arbitration Association’s first AI arbitrator, a documents-only two-party workflow designed for construction cases with a human in the loop. AAA President Bridget McCormack explains the multi-agent architecture, why procedural fairness matters, and how the tool reflects a century of arbitration expertise. We also unpack OpenAI’s Sora 2 rollout, likeness/IP controversies, and the shift from opt-out to permission-first models—and what deepfakes mean for courts and the rule of law.

Topics covered:

• How AAA’s AI arbitrator works (and when to use it)
• Human oversight, speed, and cost gains
• Sora 2’s IP backlash and policy reversal
• Deepfakes, watermarking limits, and courtroom risk

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How should law schools teach judgment, writing, and readiness in the age of AI? Georgetown’s Jonah Perlin and Suffolk’s Dyane O’Leary join hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack to explore how generative AI is reshaping legal education—from 1L writing and grading to ethics, policy, and professional judgment.

They share real classroom experiments that reveal how professors are using AI to teach reasoning and curiosity, and how schools are balancing innovation with integrity through redesigned assessments and “AI literacy” curricula. The conversation also dives into multimodal and voice-based tools transforming how students learn, communicate, and prepare for modern practice.

Topics covered:

• How AI is transforming legal writing and pedagogy
• Grading, integrity, and fairness in the AI era
• What “practice-ready” means for future lawyers
• The rise of multimodal and voice-driven learning
• Building judgment and curiosity through AI

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