This episode features Daniel Rollingher, co-founder of Fabrica, a company leveraging blockchain technology to revolutionize real estate ownership. Rollingher discusses Fabrica's innovative approach to putting real estate titles on chain, creating a more transparent and efficient system for property transactions. He explains how Fabrica's platform uses NFTs to represent property ownership, simplifying the process of buying, selling, and managing real estate assets.

The conversation also explores the legal framework behind Fabrica's blockchain real estate platform, including the use of trusts and smart contracts to ensure secure and verifiable ownership. Additionally, Rollingher touches on the use of blockchain in real estate to address challenges in the traditional real estate market, such as title insurance and liquidity issues.

Key Takeaways:

• Fabrica uses NFTs to represent real estate ownership, streamlining transactions and property management.

• The platform employs a unique trust model to connect on-chain ownership with real-world legal frameworks.

• Fabrica aims to improve transparency and efficiency in real estate transactions through blockchain technology.

• The company is exploring the potential of blockchain and real estate to disrupt traditional processes, such as title insurance and recording deeds.

• Fabrica's platform offers solutions for unlocking liquidity in land assets and other real estate holdings.

• The company is actively working on expanding its blockchain real estate platform to new jurisdictions and asset classes.

Resources/Links:

• Fabrica website: fabrica.land

• Daniel Rollingher on Twitter: @notdroll

 

Jack Weinberger, co-founder of Ajax, a legal tech app that handles timekeeping for lawyers, shares his unconventional journey from finance to legal tech. Jack discusses his experiences in investment banking and private equity, and how those roles, while not directly related to law, sparked his interest in entrepreneurship and ultimately led him to the world of legal tech. He details the challenges of building a legal tech company, emphasizing the importance of understanding the specific needs of lawyers and addressing the critical concerns of data security. Jack also provides insight into Ajax's innovative approach to timekeeping, which uses AI to automate the process of generating time entries by analyzing a lawyer's activity on their computer. He explains how Ajax integrates with popular practice management software and highlights the significant time savings and increased accuracy that Ajax offers to legal professionals. Finally, Jack shares some exciting upcoming features that Ajax is developing, including capturing impromptu conversations and further streamlining the user experience.

Key Takeaways

• Career transitions from finance to legal tech are possible, highlighting the transferable skills and entrepreneurial spirit.

• Building successful legal tech solutions requires a deep understanding of lawyer workflows and pain points, with timekeeping being a major one.

• Data security is paramount in legal tech, and companies must prioritize client confidentiality.

• AI is transforming legal practice by automating tasks like timekeeping, allowing lawyers to focus on higher-value work.

Additional Information

• Ajax website: https://www.joinajax.com/

• Learn more about Jack. 

 

This episode features Tom Dunlop, founder of Summize, a contract lifecycle management (CLM) platform. Tom discusses his unique path to founding Summize, from his background as a professional athlete and lawyer to his passion for solving real-world problems with technology.

Key takeaways:

• The genesis of Summize: Tom explains how his experience reviewing hundreds of contracts manually led to the idea for Summize.

• Early challenges and the evolution of AI: Tom describes the initial challenges of summarizing contracts using AI in 2018 and how the advent of generative AI has revolutionized Summize's capabilities.

• Summize's unique approach: Summize differentiates itself by embedding its functionality within popular workplace tools like Slack, Teams, and Microsoft Word, allowing users to manage contracts without leaving their familiar workflows.

• How Summize works: Tom explains how Summize uses AI to curate contract data and provide summaries that are relevant and tailored to specific business needs.

• The future of Summize: Tom shares his vision for the future of Summize, including plans to further leverage AI, enhance native integrations, and incorporate validated content from the legal community. 

Resources and Links:

• Summize Website: summize.com

• Connect with Tom on LinkedIn

Keywords: legal tech, contract lifecycle management (CLM), AI, generative AI, contract summarization, legal technology, Summize, Tom Dunlop, Microsoft Word, Slack, Teams, Outlook, DocuSign

A conversation with Lucas Moskowitz, General Counsel for financial services company Robinhood. Launched in 2013, Robinhood’s stated mission is to "democratize finance for all" by making it easy for investors to start investing with a few bucks rather than having to be a high roller. Key to this effort is the fact that Robinhood offers commission-free trading and also provides access to cryptocurrencies.

The discussion covers various topics, including:

• Robinhood’s Mission: Lucas explains Robinhood's mission to democratize finance by breaking down barriers to investing and making it accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial background.

• Lucas’s Career Path: Lucas shares his unique career journey, transitioning from big law to the SEC, Capitol Hill, and eventually Robinhood. He emphasizes the importance of diverse experiences in shaping his perspective.

• Regulation in the Financial Industry: Lucas advocates for a data-driven approach to regulation, striking a balance between investor protection and fostering innovation and access.

• Crypto & Blockchain: The potential of crypto and blockchain technology is explored, with Lucas highlighting their role in making financial markets more efficient.

• Education: The importance of educating investors about making sound investment decisions and also educating legal professionals about emerging technologies like blockchain and tokenization of assets.

Stay in the know:

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Episode Credits

Editing and Production: Grant Blackstock

Theme Music: Home Base (Instrumental Version) by TA2MI

In this Best of 2024 episode, we revisit our conversation with Scott and Digby Leigh, founders of AltFee—a legal tech startup tackling one of the industry’s biggest challenges: the billable hour.

Despite decades of debate, the billable hour still dominates legal billing. Enter AltFee. The app helps legal professionals scope, price, and manage projects using alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), offering clients more transparency and value.

Scott and Digby highlight why AFAs matter now more than ever: as AI reduces time spent on tasks, value-based pricing will become essential. AltFee provides a foundation for law firms to shift away from time-based billing, encouraging lawyers to focus on the actual value of their services—not just the clock. From scoping projects to auditing fees, this conversation explores the future of legal pricing and how AFAs can reshape client relationships for the better.

If you’re curious about innovation in legal tech, or if you’re tired of the constraints of hourly billing, this episode is a must-listen.

Episode Credits

Editing and Production: Grant Blackstock

Theme Music: Home Base (Instrumental Version) by TA2MI

 

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What does it take to build a successful legal tech startup?   In this Best of 2024 episode, we revisit our conversation with Zach Posner, co-founder of the LegalTech Fund, an investment fund focused on supporting innovative legal technology companies. Zach’s unique perspective on legal tech investing is rooted in his broad experience, including building an education tech company acquired by McGraw Hill. During our conversation, he shares valuable insights into what makes startups thrive. From the importance of transparent investor updates to fostering frequent, meaningful customer interactions that guide product development.   We also explore the LegalTech Fund’s investment focus:

• Tools leveraging contracting data for business insights
• Tech solutions expanding access to legal services

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an investor, or simply interested in the evolution of legal tech, this episode is full of practical advice and inspiring insights.

Episode Credits

Editing and Production: Grant Blackstock

Theme Music: Home Base (Instrumental Version) by TA2MI

 

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In one of the most popular episodes of 2024, John Grant talks about how legal teams can adopt Agile and Kanban project management methodologies to optimize workflows, correct bottlenecks and increase client satisfaction. John is a lawyer and the founder of The Agile Attorney consultancy.

As John explains, the traditional project management method is waterfall. A technique often used by technology companies, involving a sequential approach where each stage is dependent on the completion of the previous one.

But John is a proponent of the newer, Agile methodology, which emerged from the software development community. It is a flexible approach where tasks are broken down into small increments with minimal planning, and processes are iterative. Agile is one of John’s favorites because he believes it is well suited for legal work.

John also talks about the value of a Kanban board, a visual tool used to manage work at various stages of a process. It typically includes columns such as “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done”.

So why is he so into project management methodologies? Because despite coming from a long line of lawyers, before he went to law school, he first worked in tech.

Episode Credits

Editing and Production: Grant Blackstock

Theme Music: Home Base (Instrumental Version) by TA2MI

Conrad Everhard, founder of Flatiron Law Group discusses his career trajectory from Georgetown University to becoming a partner at Big Law firms Jones Day and Brian Cave. He explains why he left BigLaw to found Flatiron Law Group, to provide a more cost effective and efficient way to offer legal services to clients involved in mergers and acquisitions.

To do so, the firm leverages a multi-pronged model: flat fees, low overhead, general contract labor to assist with the more labor intensive parts of an M&A deal, and advanced technology, including the firm's own custom build Deal Driver software that provides the clients with data and other insight about the deals they are working on.

Conrad also talks about his work with Stanford’s Codex project, where he is helping develop an AI based negotiation simulator to train young lawyers in M&A deals. He highlights the importance of capturing the decision-making process of senior lawyers to effectively guide the AI model.

Key Discussion Points & Timestamps:

Transition from Big Law to Entrepreneurship: [0:40 - 13:03]

The Flatiron Model: [14:16 - 26:48]

Work with Codex and AI in Legal Training: [26:48 - 33:00]

Resources & Links:

Flatiron Law website: flatiron.legal

Episode Credits

Production: Grant Blackstock

Theme Music: Home Base (Instrumental Version) by TA2MI

 

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This episode features Stan Shepard, General Counsel of Atlassian, a leading provider of team productivity and collaboration software. Stan discusses his unique career journey from a finance journalist to the current GC of Atlassian. He shares valuable insights into how Atlassian's legal department leverages the company's productivity software products and AI for maximum efficiency.

Episode Highlights:

[00:00:09]: Introduction and Stan's background - Learn about Stan's journey from finance journalist to lawyer at Charles Schwab, and eventually to his current role at Atlassian.

[00:04:00]: Why Stan transitioned from journalism to law - Discover his motivations for pursuing a legal career, including the desire for greater impact and client interaction.

[00:07:00]: The growth of Atlassian's legal department - Hear how the legal team has expanded significantly alongside the company's rapid growth, particularly during the pandemic.

[00:12:39]: How Atlassian's legal team uses their own products - Stan explains how Atlassian's legal department utilizes Jira, Confluence, and other tools to streamline workflows and improve collaboration.

[00:14:10]: AI routing of legal requests - Discover how AI automates the process of routing incoming legal requests to the appropriate specialists.

[00:17:02]: Atlassian's new AI product, Rovo - Learn about Rovo's search, chat, and agent capabilities, designed to enhance teamwork and efficiency.

[00:23:31]: Advice for legal departments adopting AI - Stan provides practical guidance on how legal teams can effectively integrate AI into their workflows.

[00:24:29]: Responsible AI implementation - Stan emphasizes the importance of approaching AI adoption with a focus on ethical considerations and mitigating potential biases.

[00:28:16]: Atlassian's involvement with BSA | The Software Alliance - Learn about Atlassian's advocacy work in the global software industry and their efforts to shape responsible tech policy.

Key Takeaways:

• Embrace continuous learning: Stan's career path underscores the importance of adaptability and a growth mindset.
• Leverage technology for efficiency: Atlassian's legal team exemplifies how technology can optimize legal workflows and improve collaboration.
• Adopt AI responsibly: Stan highlights the need for a thoughtful and ethical approach to AI implementation.

Resources Mentioned:

• Atlassian: www.atlassian.com
• Jira: Atlassian's project management software.
• Confluence: Atlassian's knowledge management software.
• Loom: Atlassian's asynchronous video messaging tool.
• Rovo: Atlassian's new AI product with search and chat functionality.
• Responsible Tech Review Template: A guide for responsible AI development. (Available on Atlassian's website)
• BSA | The Software Alliance: bsa.org

Connect with Stan Shepard:

LinkedIn: Stan Shepard

  Episode Credits

Editing and Production: Grant Blackstock

Theme Music: Home Base (Instrumental Version) by TA2MI

 

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New Era ADR CEO Rich Lee makes a return appearance to Technically Legal to talk about the company’s cutting-edge platform revolutionizing dispute resolution. Rich first came on the podcast in 2021 right as the company launched. Rich discusses the company's mission to provide a faster, more efficient, and cost-effective alternative to traditional litigation and arbitration, the company’s growth and what he has learned from a few years in.

Key takeaways:

• New Era ADR offers a unique platform for resolving disputes in under 100 days, significantly faster than traditional methods.  

• The platform leverages technology to streamline processes, reduce costs, and enhance accessibility for all parties involved.  

• New Era ADR boasts a diverse pool of experienced and qualified neutrals, ensuring fair and impartial resolutions.  

• The company's commitment to innovation is evident in its use of data and technology to drive efficiency and transparency.

Timestamps:

• [00:00:00] Introduction and recap of New Era ADR

• [00:01:30] Discussion of the platform's features and benefits

• [00:05:00] How New Era ADR addresses common dispute resolution challenges

• [00:10:00] The importance of social proof in legal innovation

• [00:15:00] Attracting and recruiting qualified neutrals

• [00:20:00] The neutral selection process

• [00:25:00] Future developments and roadmap for New Era ADR

• [00:30:00] The impact of New Era ADR on various stakeholders

Resources and Links:

• New Era ADR website: https://www.neweraadr.com/