Today, we’re joined by Jack Cushman, director of the Harvard Library Innovation Lab, where he and his team are reimagining how library principles can shape the future of legal technology. Jack is a software engineer and appellate attorney who previously led the development of the Caselaw Access Project. He has also taught computer programming at Harvard Law School, served as a Berkman fellow, and sat on the board of the ACLU of Massachusetts. At the Library Innovation Lab, Jack explores how libraries can better collect, preserve, and share knowledge. His current work focuses on the fragility of digital cultural memory and the emergence of AI as a new form of knowledge.

In our conversation, Jack reflects on his journey from computer programming to law school, the evolving mission of libraries in the digital age, and the skills lawyers need to thrive in an AI-driven world. He also shares his perspective on how we should measure the impact and reliability of AI systems in legal practice.

Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_%20JackCushman.pdf

This week, we’re revisiting our conversation with Leah Molatseli, formerly of Contract Alchemists. Since her appearance on the podcast, Leah has taken on a new role as Country Liaison in South Africa for the legal tech company Saga, where she is still helping lawyers navigate technology, innovation, and more recently AI.

In this wide-ranging episode, Leah shares her perspective on the South African legal community, her passion for writing, and the importance of purpose-driven work. It’s a conversation full of inspiration and forward-thinking ideas.

Thank you for listening. We will return next week with a new episode.

This week, we welcome Leah Molatseli, founder of Contract Alchemists, a company with the goal of modernizing legal teams through legal operations, agile methodologies, and technology. Leah has over 10 years of experience in the legal field, and has a certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the University of Notre Dame. After practicing for a few years, she co-founded Lenoma Legal, a virtual legal tech startup aimed at helping small businesses in South Africa. Prior to starting Contract Alchemists, Leah was head of business development at Legal Interact, a legal tech company. She is also a speaker, a published author, and a council member at the University of the Free State. Additionally, she recently joined LexisNexis South Africa as an author and became a Voice and Brand Council Member at the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC).

In today's conversation, Leah discusses the legal community in South Africa, how she approaches her writing, the TV shows that inspired her to become an attorney, and how being purpose-driven shapes her decision-making.

Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_LeahMolatseli.pdf

Today's guest is Leslie Grandy, an author, speaker, and trusted advisor to CEOs, product leaders, and teams. Leslie's career has taken some fascinating turns—from working in the film industry to guiding major brands on strategy and innovation. She's also deeply committed to education, having taught product leaders through The Product Guild, the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship, and as guest lecturer at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business. Leslie recently added author to her list of accomplishments with the release of her book, Creative Velocity, which explores how to drive better results and better collaboration through creativity and the thoughtful use of generative AI.

In our conversation, Leslie talks about the importance of embracing a creative career path and discovering her personal superpower. We talk about her thesis that creativity is a learnable, repeatable system. We also discuss why reframing problems is often the key to solving them, the role of culture and creative problem solving, and her thoughts on how organizations should be approaching AI tools.

Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_LeslieGrandy.pdf

This week, we're joined by David Freeman Engstrom and Natalie Knowlton from the Deborah Rhode Center on the Legal Profession at Stanford Law. David, who serves as co-director of the Center and holds the LSVF professorship in law, has devoted his work to access to justice issues in millions of often overlooked cases, such as debt collection, eviction, foreclosure, and child support. Earlier this year, he published Rethinking the Lawyers’ Monopoly, a major contribution to the ongoing debate about the future of legal services and regulation. You may remember Natalie from her appearance on the podcast in 2023. Since then, she stepped into the role of associate director for legal innovation at the Rhode Center, where she focuses on legal technology, court modernization, and regulatory reform. Just this summer, the Center released a groundbreaking report, which she and David co-wrote, called Legal Innovation After Reform: Five Years of Data on Regulatory Change, which analyzes the reforms in Arizona and Utah.

In today's episode, David and Natalie share insights from that report and discuss the broader implications for the legal system. We will also hear from David about his unexpected journey from coaching high school football in the Mississippi Delta to joining the Stanford Law faculty. Additionally, we talk about what today's law students need to understand about how technology is reshaping the practice of law.

Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_DavidEngstrom_NatalieKnowlton.pdf

This week, we're joined by Jason Marty, CEO of Lumio, a company helping legal leaders grow their businesses and adapt to the age of AI. Jason brings a wealth of experience to the new venture. He started in internet program management before moving into the legal industry, where he served as global COO at both Baker McKenzie and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. He later co-founded Lumio alongside Jae Um and Ed Sohn, both past podcast guests, with a vision of creating a “service as software” company for the business of law.

Jason shares Lumio’s origin story, his career journey, and what excites him most about the evolving legal tech landscape. If you want to know what “service as software” means to Jason, take a listen now.

Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_JasonMarty.pdf

We're pleased to welcome back Jordan Furlong. Jordan is one of the legal industry's leading voices on the future of the profession. He continues to advise legal organizations through his consulting practice, Law21, and is currently working on a new book exploring how generative AI will reshape the practice of law, which is set to be published next year.

In this episode, we talk about the balance between the commercial and societal responsibilities of today's lawyers, the evolving purpose of the profession in the age of AI, and his recommendations for firms navigating this wave of change.

Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_JordanFurlongReturns.pdf

Today's guest is Jonathan Petts, co-founder and CEO of Upsolve, a nonprofit helping low-income Americans overcome debt at scale. Jonathan's career has been focused on bankruptcy law, from clerking for bankruptcy judges to practicing at top New York firms. In 2016, he co-founded Upsolve, and since then, the platform has become the nation's most visited nonprofit financial education site. Its free bankruptcy tool has already helped more than 14,000 families relieve over $600 million in debt.

Jonathan talks about his path into bankruptcy law, the story of founding Upsolve, the importance of building strong nonprofit partnerships, and the advice he’d give his younger self.

Read the full transcript of today's episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_JonathanPetts.pdf

This week, we’re catching up with Ivy Grey, a legal tech entrepreneur, writer, and longtime friend of the podcast. We first spoke with Ivy three years ago about her fascinating background in anthropology and journalism, as well as her work at WordRake, where she's now chief strategy & growth officer. She also continues as an advisor to PerfectIt, a proofreading tool for legal professionals.

In this episode, Ivy walks us through her “sandwich” approach to writing with generative AI, and how new tools in WordRake are helping users write more clearly and confidently. We also talk about staying ethically grounded while using gen AI, and how emerging tech might reshape legal training and apprenticeships. Ivy brings a usual mix of insight, clarity, and energy.

Read the full transcript of this episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_IvyGreyReturns.pdf

We’re excited to welcome back Lucy Bassli, founder and principal at InnoLaw Group. Lucy is a leading voice in legal operations and contract lifecycle management (CLM), helping organizations rethink how they handle contracts through smarter processes and technology, including—of course—AI. Lucy is an advisor to several legal tech companies.

In our conversation, Lucy shares why so many people are feeling “CLM fatigue” and what needs to change. We also talk about the future of legal education and how technology is reshaping everything, from pricing to professional training. It's a conversation full of her insight and refreshing, candid comments.

Read the full transcript of the episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Pioneers_LucyBassliReturns.pdf

With the school year just around the corner, we're going back to a great episode featuring Professor Nicole Morris of Emory Law. Nicole wears many hats. She's not only a professor, but also leads the TI:GER program, which brings together students from law, business, and engineering to turn ideas into real world innovations. Since we last spoke with her, she has become the Faculty Director of Emory’s IP & Innovation Clinic, the only clinic in Georgia authorized by the US Patent and Trademark Office to allow law students to practice patent law. In our conversation, Nicole talks about how she found her way into legal education and why experiential learning is so essential for today's students. It's a must-listen as we gear up for the fall. Thank you very much. We’re back after the holiday with a new episode.

This week, we're joined by Nicole Morris, professor of practice at Emory University School of Law, director of the Innovation and Legal Tech Initiative, and director of the TI:GER program. Nicole has had a fascinating, multifaceted career journey. After working as a chemical engineer for several years, she decided to go to law school. She then became a patent attorney at large and midsize law firms, and later worked in-house. As a professor of practice at Emory, Nicole's focus includes patent law, patent litigation, IP licensing, and strategy. She is director of the school's program Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results (TI:GER). TI:GER is an innovative program that brings together graduate students in law, business, science, and engineering to work on ways to take innovative ideas from the lab to the marketplace.

In our discussion, Nicole talks about her journey from chemical engineering to law, the various elements of TI:GER, and the importance of human skills in the legal profession.

Read a transcript of this episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/BestofPioneers_NicoleMorris.pdf