In this episode of Studio A, Will Ayers speaks with Mike McKay, Vice President of R&D at Aderant, about how law firms and technology benefit from practicality. 

Drawing from his time at IBM and NCR, Mike shares how patents, empathy, and common sense shape the approach to building useful software for legal professionals. He explains how Aderant modernizes our products through a new data platform and integrations with Stridyn or Milana, as well as AI initiatives powered by MADDI and askMADDI.

Hear how Aderant makes legal technology simpler, more consistent, and designed to scale alongside law firms.

Highlights:

• Innovation in Action: Mike recalls patents and lessons that influence his work today
• MADDI and askMADDI: How Aderant implements AI across its product suite
• The Data Plane: Why holistic data access impacts legal technology

Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Introducing Mike McKay

(01:24) Patents that shape practical technology solutions

(03:01) Building tech that matches law firm needs

(04:04) Why empathy drives better software development

(05:48) How MADDI and askMADDI operate

(07:24) The power of Aderant’s new data plane

(08:35) Making legal software easier to use

(09:17) What’s next for VI and Milana