#legaltech

ChatGPT exploded into the artificial intelligence (AI) scene in November 2022 and quickly became the most downloaded app in history. We sat down with Matthew Sullivan — Chief Operating Officer at Sullivan Law & Associates, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of consulting firm Unravel Legal and a member of ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee (PDAC) — to discuss how this fast-moving AI is impacting legal. We talk about how ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI can improve efficiencies at firms as well as ways legal administrators can use this tech now. Sounds exciting, right? But are there downsides? For that, we pull out our crystal ball to discuss how disruptive it might be for the legal industry and whether this tech puts us in the middle of a robot uprising.

This is the first in our ongoing series with members of the PDAC, where we’ll take a deeper dive into what’s trending in legal.

Speaker Bio 

Matthew Sullivan is the Chief Operating Officer of Sullivan Law & Associates and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of legal consulting firm Unravel. He currently serves as a member of ALA’s Professional Development Advisory Committee. 

In this episode, Justin and Lynne are joined by Keven Hendricks, founder of the Ubivis Project, a website dedicated to combating the ever-growing scourge of “dark web” narcotics poisoning our communities. Teenagers and adults are flocking to the dark web to (easily!) buy illegal drugs--many of them overdosing and dying--and yet law enforcement is not doing enough to investigate. The drug trade is soaring in the shadows, so let's unpack what the dark web really is. Hint: ANYONE can access it easily, it's not just for criminals or tech-savvy hackers. While there are important positive uses of the dark web infrastructure, hear how Keven is working hard to bring light to the dark side of the dark web by stopping the sale of drugs and saving lives.

You can learn so much more at ubivisproject.org
And Keven urges you submit anonymous tips at stopdarkwebdrugs.com if you or a loved one has been affected by an overdose.

¿Contratarías antes los servicios de un abogado robot que los de un abogado humano? Mira cómo será el futuro del sector legal en el metaverso y con la llegada de la automatización, con Adalberto Méndez López

This special spotlight episode of Behind the Lines: The Houston Lawyer Podcast corresponds with the Section Spotlight feature of The Houston Lawyer magazine.

We are featuring the Houston Bar Association's (HBA) Law Practice Management Section in this episode.  The spotlighted program is a hybrid (online and in person) CLE presentation provided by the section in March 2022. The CLE, entitled "The Best of the ABA Techshow 2022," was presented by Ruby Powers. The ABA Techshow is an event where lawyers, legal professionals, and technology experts convene once a year to share ideas, talk trends, and improve the legal profession. Ms. Powers attended the entire conference and spoke on two panels. Her presentation provides the key takeaways from the three-day event and highlights the useful tips that law practice managers can instantly put into place.  Ms. Powers refers to some slides and websites in her presentation, and listeners can find those on the HBA's The Houston Lawyer webpage: www.hba.org/thehoustonlawyer. Note that because the podcast contains a recording of a live event, there is some unavoidable background noise. 

Ruby Powers is the owner and managing partner of Powers Law Group Immigration Law Firm in Houston.  She is an active member of the HBA Law Practice Management Section, and she is on the Editorial Board of The Houston Lawyer magazine.

"The Law Practice Management Section Provides information and resources to HBA members about building and managing law practices more effectively and successfully while maintaining the highest standards of the legal profession. CLE-approved programs focus on both fundamental principles and emerging trends related to building and enhancing client relationships; office management and supervisory issues; effective use of legal technology; billing and accounting practices; and professionalism." (Law Practice Management (hba.org)). John Meredith is the 2021-2022 Chair of the Section.

Thanks to Ms. Powers, Mr. Meredity, and the Law Practice Management for sharing your program with Behind the Lines: The Houston Lawyer Podcast listeners. 

Listeners who are also HBA members are eligible for 45 minutes of Texas CLE credit. Visit Continuing Legal Education (hba.org) for more information. 

For full speaker bios, visit The Houston Lawyer (hba.org). To read The Houston Lawyer magazine, visit The Houston Lawyer_home. For more information about the Houston Bar Association, visit Houston Bar Association (hba.org).
*The views expressed in this episode do not necessarily reflect the views of The Houston Lawyer Editorial Board or the Houston Bar Association.

After diagnosing the state of US legal education a few months ago, in this episode the terrific trio talk about the nature of Australian law schools and discuss some of the challenges that they face in the years to come. With insights from guests Prof George Williams AO (UNSW), Prof Nick James (Bond) and Prof Lesley Hitchens (UTS), this is the first podcast from Dan in his new role of Executive Dean at QUT, and is sure to be a classic. 

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In this interview, the last of our investigations of how law firms are becoming tech firms, Dan Hunter talks with Michelle Mahoney, the head of innovation at King & Wood Mallesons. She discusses the layered approach to technology and innovation that this elite, multinational firm provides, and divides up the task into four useful categories.

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In this interview, we chat with Deepak Pillai, a data analyst who works at the blue chip Australian law firm Clayton Utz.

The firm took the unusual step of building a separate data analytics practice to complement its traditional legal practice. Deepak talks about why law firms might do this, how their clients respond to this type of offering, and how a data scientist from a social media marketing background came to be up close and personal with a bunch of lawyers.

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In this interview, Dean Dan chats with Jonathan Patterson, the Managing Director & Head of Development of DWF Ventures in Manchester, England. DWF is a fascinating example of a law firm that has embraced managed legal operations, legaltech, and design thinking. The firm's incredibly successful listing this year on the London Stock Exchange was driven in large part by its ability to rethink how legal services are delivered, and we explore some of the ways in which DWF is how a tech firm.

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Lisa Leong introduces us to her friend Professor Dan Klein from Stanford University aka "Dan the Improv Man". In this episode our three co-hosts, Dean Dan, Lethal Lisa and Most Interesting Mike explore how improvisation exercises can help lawyers develop an innovation mindset. 

Have you tried using improv to unlock lawyer creativity? Add to the conversation at http://thefuturelawpodcast.com/

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