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
Haley Moss on How Embracing Neurodiversity in the Legal Profession Makes Us All Better
Cultivating and Retaining the Next Generation of Legal Talent
Alex Babin - Getting the Machines to Work the Way You Work
Matthew Coatney - The Human Cloud: The World of Projects and Freelancers
Results of the Bloomberg Law DEI Framework with Molly Huie
Teaching Law Students Business Design Skills - Jessica Erickson and Josh Kubicki
Ian Nelson, Sarah Glassmeyer, and Margaret Naughton on the Next Generation of CLE
The Legal Design Book with Astrid Kohlmeier and Meera Klemola
Innovation Adoption - The Law Firm Field of Dreams
Mary O'Carroll - The Power of Community in Driving Change
Zen and the Art of Process Improvement - Tiffany O'Neil, Alana Carson, and Jack Godsey
Joseph Raczynski - The Red and Blue Pill Matrix of AI and Emerging Legal Tech
April Brousseau - Innovation in the Legal Industry Can't Be a Side Gig
Leigh Vickery on Creating Top-Shelf Customer Experience in Legal
Shailini George on Law Students Doing Well and Being Well
Maya Markovich and Ivy Grey on Creating More Value with the Time You Have
Eugene Giudice on Reflections During a Pandemic
AALL's Emily Florio and Diane Rodriguez on Leading an Association Remotely
The Delta Model Lawyer with Cat Moon and Alyson Carrel
How COVID Changed Law Students' On Campus Interview Experiences with Law360's Kerry Benn
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