The Kennedy-Mighell Report

Legal teams work best when their operations run smoothly and efficiently, and developing innovations must be kept in mind as teams hone their legal operations strategies. Dennis and Tom talk with legal tech experts Amy Brookbanks and Michael Kennedy about their work helping lawyers and in-house legal teams work through problems with effective technology solutions. They discuss strategies for defining necessities in workflows to help lawyers understand how to implement technology to optimize their practices. They also discuss their career paths in the legal field and discuss current happenings in tech, AI, collaboration, and much more.

As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.

Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions.

Amy Brookbanks is Legal Operations Consultant at Addleshaw Goddard.

Michael Kennedy is head of R&D (Innovation & Legal Technology) at Addleshaw Goddard. 

Show Notes:

Courts matter, and the rule of law is essential to the success of our judicial system. However, collectively, we often do not fully understand the impact of courts on the wellbeing of society. In a wide-ranging discussion, Dennis and Tom talk with Jason Tashea about his perspectives on legal technology and its current impacts in the legal field, particularly in courts and information systems.They discuss potential technology and AI deployments in efforts for access to justice, and Jason points out the practical limitations all legal professionals should be aware of as they engage with AI in legal work. 

Jason Tashea is a writer and entrepreneur exploring the intersection of justice and society. A lawyer by training, he is the founding director and a co-founder of the Judicial Innovation Fellowship program at Georgetown Law.

Show Notes:

Sooner than later, those without competent AI use will be viewed as backwards or even bizarre, so lawyers must strive to work with AI now to keep up with its developments. With loads of AI expertise to draw from, Peter Duffy joins Dennis and Tom to share his thoughts on the overall landscape of legal technology and lawyer engagement with AI. They talk over his career path, forecast future trends, and discuss the massive benefit of integrating technology solutions in your legal practice. 

As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.

Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions.

Peter Duffy is the Founder and CEO of TITANS, a LegalTech and AI consultancy for leading law firms and legal departments.

Show Notes:

Peter’s newsletter: legaltechtrends.com 

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According to Tom, ABA TECHSHOW is one of the most accessible conferences out there! They strive to make technology approachable for all levels of experience—whether you’re a newbie or a tech expert, there’s a whole slew of great opportunities for learning about legal tech and engaging in social events. As seasoned TECHSHOW veterans, Dennis and Tom discuss the breadth of the conference experience and offer advice for attendees. 

Later, the guys use generative AI tools to see what the top potential takeaways may be at ABA TECHSHOW 2025. 

As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.

Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions.

Show Notes 

A Segment: Talking TECHSHOW 2025

B Segment: Asking AI: Top 3 Takeaways from ABA TECHSHOW

Parting Shots:

Artificial intelligence has masses of potential for improving the legal world, and we should certainly expect it to become integral to the practice as we move into the future. With that reality in mind, today’s law students need to be educated on ethics, uses, and ongoing developments in AI. In this episode, Tom talks to Dennis about his classes dedicated to teaching Michigan law students about AI and the law. Due to the current rapidity of AI innovations, education on this topic must be extremely adaptable. Dennis shares insights into his creative methods for instructing students on the nuances of this evolving technology. Later, what strategies should law schools use to provide hands-on access to the latest AI tools for students? Dennis and Tom discuss. As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.

Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions.

LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

New year, new goals! Dennis and Tom share their tech resolutions for the upcoming year and take a look back to see how they did on their goals from 2024. As might be expected, AI continually expands in the tech and legal worlds, so AI is prominent amongst the guys’ resolutions. They talk about their hopes for new AI implementations, thoughts on streamlining tech, social media in the post-Twitter era, additional work on their Second Brain projects, and more.

Later, the guys ponder the question: how do we make 'improving firm-wide AI literacy' an achievable resolution for attorneys? All law firm staff who use AI need to have a good understanding of its current capabilities and potential uses. Dennis and Tom talk through how to keep level with developments and utilize AI tech to your greatest advantage.

As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.

Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions.

Show Notes: 

It’s tradition, y’all! Dennis, Tom, and Debbie Foster are together again for their year-end Pardon the Interruption podcast episode. Beginning with “Toss-Up”, they take on opposing views on legal tech issues (GenAI, collaboration, adoption, etc.). For their “What’s the Word?” segment, they choose the best descriptors for 2024’s trending tech, and then finish up with “Hot or Not?” to rank current tech offerings. Tom is rumored to be the favorite in this year’s matchup—can he retain his crown?

As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation you can use the second the podcast ends.

Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions.

Debbie Foster is the managing partner for Affinity Consulting, and is a nationally recognized thought leader on efficiency and innovation in professional legal organizations.

The world of AI and legal tech is evolving ever more rapidly, and it is all too common for lawyers to feel intimidated at the thought of keeping up with the constant barrage of change. How should lawyers maintain their tech competence? Dennis and Tom talk with Ilona Logvinova about her work in tech and AI innovations for lawyers. She shares her career journey and offers perspectives on leveraging technology to create new and better opportunities for attorneys to thrive in their work.

As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.

Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions.

Ilona Logvinova is director of Practice Innovation at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. 

Show Notes:

Happy Black Friday, everyone! Time to join in on the shopping frenzy, and fill up your cart with tech tools that meet every conceivable need. If you’re not sure what to get, Dennis and Tom are at the ready with a carefully curated list of the best tech on the market in 2024. They share their recommendations for which phone/tablet upgrades are worth your while, utilitarian and luxury gadgets that make life run a little more smoothly, charging stations for every possible use-case, cognition boosters, and more!

As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.

Have a technology question for Dennis and Tom? Call their Tech Question Hotline at 720-441-6820 for the answers to your most burning tech questions.

Show Notes - Kennedy-Mighell Report #379

A Segment: Phones and Gadgets and Gizmos, Oh My!

B Segment: Gadgets for Cognitive Performance

Parting Shots:

For another perspective on tech—this time with a focus on law schools, students, and new lawyers—Dennis and Tom welcome Professor Nicole Morris of Emory University School of Law. With her strong connection to future generations of lawyers, Nicole offers insights into the state of tech competence amongst aspiring legal professionals, and, surprisingly, it may not be quite what we typically imagine. They go on to discuss genAI’s implications in legal writing, tech and collaboration in law schools, Nicole’s career path, and much more. 

Show Notes - Kennedy-Mighell Report #378

A Segment: Fresh Voices on Legal Tech - Nichole Morris

B Segment: More with Nichole Morris

Parting Shots:

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