On this episode of The Geek in Review, hosts Marlene Gebauer and Greg Lambert interview Thomas Suh, Founder and CEO, and Ken Block, Senior Account Executive of LegalMation. The company provides AI-powered tools to help litigators automate repetitive tasks and work more efficiently. The conversation focuses on LegalMation's products, overcoming resistance to adopting new legal tech, and predictions for the future evolution of legal service delivery.
Suh provides background on founding LegalMation about seven years ago to help streamline the "scut work" litigation associates spend time on. The flagship product automates drafting responses to lawsuits, discovery requests, demand letters, and more by leveraging a firm's historical data. LegalMation initially built an automation tool internally at a law firm before deciding to spin it off into a standalone legal tech company. The product found an early champion in the form of a corporate legal department interested in licensing it. Today, LegalMation serves large corporate legal departments, law firms, and insurance companies.
Suh and Block discuss common roadblocks to adopting new legal technology like lack of trust and skepticism. Suh notes the importance of identifying the right use cases where efficiency gains matter most. For high-stakes litigation, efficiency may be less of a concern than for high-volume routine matters. Corporate legal departments are often early adopters because they are focused on efficiency and supplementing personnel. Law firms still incentivized by billable hours may be warier of efficiency gains.
For the YouTube Viewers, Block demonstrates LegalMation's Response Creator tool for automating drafting of responses to complaints and discovery requests. The AI leverages a firm's historical data to maintain proper tone and style while speeding up document preparation significantly. Lawyers can still review and edit the AI-generated drafts before finalizing. Suh explains that because the AI relies solely on a firm's data, it maintains consistency rather than attempting to generate random creative language.
Looking ahead, Suh predicts that the litigation process will become more modular, with different firms or providers specializing in discrete phases rather than handling a case end-to-end. Block emphasizes that younger lawyers expect to leverage more technology and are unwilling to slog through repetitive manual tasks, which will force law firms to adapt. Technology stacks and automation will become selling points for recruiting top young talent.
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Transcript
The Mission: Eliminate Systemic Racism in the Legal System - LexisNexis' Ronda Bazley Moore (TGIR Ep. 179)
An Overview of the 2022 Partner Compensation Survey with Law360's Craig Savitzky and MLA's Jeffrey Lowe (TGIR Ep. 178)
It's Not Legal Technology That's the Problem… It's the Culture - ALM's Tomek Jankowski (TGIR Ep. 177)
Preparing for the Legal Team of the Future - Adam Curphey (TGIR Ep. 176)
What Does a Post-Pandemic Conference Look Like? Martha Breil on ILTACon (TGIR Ep.175)
A Data Diva and Two Geeks Talk Data Privacy - Debbie Reynolds
Intentional Leadership is about Owning Your Purpose - HBR's Axelle Flemming
The Future of Legal Innovation Will Be Built In By Design - Olga Mack
Teaching (and Pressuring) Law Professors to Teach Technology - Katie Brown
11 Steps Law Firms Can Take to Stop "Women Leaving Law" - Laura Leopard
Increased Revenue, Profits, and Efficiencies through "Smarter Collaboration" - Dr. Heidi Gardner
Aliza Shatzman - Turning a Horrible Judicial Clerkship Experience into the Legal Accountability Project
HyperDraft's Tony Thai and Sean Greaney - The Compatibility of BigLaw and Innovative Lawyers
Leading with Love as a Business Strategy with Jeff Ma and Frank Danna
Engineering Serendipity with The Houston Ion's Joey Sanchez
Diane Rodriguez and Beth Adelman on AALL's Preparation for an In-Person Denver Conference
Peter Baumann: There is So Much Value In Your Data… Once You Control the Risks
Law360's Kerry Benn on 2022 Summer Associate Preferences, Challenges, and Options
Colin McCarthy of Legal Operators on Building a LegalOps Community
Sonja Ebron and Ed Walters Collaborate on Courtroom5 and Fastcase to Help Pro Se Litigants Access Justice
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