Automates

This episode's guest is Tessa Bartley, Head of Legal Technology at Charles Russell Speechlys, who tells us about the firm's new department called Advanced Client Solutions, alongside covering topics such including:

Topics covered include:

• Knowledge becoming strategic again
• How experts in searching are poised to pivot to writing prompts
• Shifting your culture to one that accepts constant change
• Using lawyers' competitive nature to your advantage!
• Embedding an innovation mindset into a firm

Plus some choice analogies from Tess!

Ben speaks to Nicole Bradick, Founder & CEO of Theory & Principle, a product design and development firm for the legal industry. Alongside a healthy dose of laughter and sarcasm, they discuss:

• The power of design thinking
• Building a varied and experienced team (not necessarily all from the world of legal!)
• How AI has moved on from simply implementing Chatbots
• Whether tech users always need to see the UI
• The importance of trust in user experience

In this episode of Automates, Ben speaks to Founder and CEO of Syntheia, Horace Wu, in a varied and candid conversation covering:

• Experimenting with GenAI and typical use cases 
• Did COVID shift people's attitudes towards transformation? 
• How technology has gone from 'keeping the lights on' to boosting efficiency 
• Cultivating a culture when working fully remotely
• Plus: 
  • the smartest thing Horace will ever say about AI,
  • a template for staying productive, and; 
  • the power of a good, strong life partner!

Ben catches up with Ryan McClead of Sente Advisors, for this episode of Automates. 

Ben and Ryan discuss the ins and outs of innovation including:

 • Where is GenAI on the hype cycle?
 • Upskilling for GenAI adoption
 • Differences in approaches to innovation in the US vs UK and Europe
 • The fine line between innovation and knowledge management
 • The importance of mapping out your process before you start implementing solutions
 • Why innovation teams should function as startups

and many more nuggets of wisdom including moving to Iceland and looking into a crystal ball

In this episode, Ben sat down with Cheryl Wilson-Griffin, who this week announced that her company Legal Tech Consultants has been acquired by LegalTechHub. A collaboration between bright minds that is one to watch!

Cheryl shares her thoughts on:

• Non-sexy but essential legaltech
• Standing out in a crowded legaltech market
• Building internal advocates to scale adoption of technology within firms
• The challenges of being a legaltech buyer
• Leveraging the power of data to drive change
• Thirsty horses, whale sounds and music mondays

In this episode of Automates, Ben talks to self-confessed 'data junkie' Andrew Hutchinson, founder of Databall about the business of law and all things data. 

Their conversation covers:

• Whether or not law firms actually run as effective commercial businesses
• Technology's increased influence over strategic direction
• Data lakes/swamps/ponds and why firms need to set up data repositories
• The excitement of working in legaltech right now, and;
• Andrew's top tips for new startup founders including:
  • Finding investors who 'get it'
  • Security, security, security and;
  • Knowing yourself well enough to get s*** done!

In our first episode, Ben Wightwick reunites with former HighQ colleague and friend  Stuart Barr to discuss the right balance of people, process and technology, and how this applies to the current legaltech landscape.

Topics covered:

• The importance of Open APIs & interoperability
• The challenge of GenAI vs BAU and how it fits in
• The importance of people in change management and technology implementation
• Scaling software companies and customer success
• The concept of software WITH a service
• The right skillset for legal innovation teams.