Inflection Point: The Legal AI Revolution – Part 2

This past Thursday, September 14, Inside Practice LLC hosted a full-day virtual conference – Inflection Point: The Legal AI Revolution – Part 2 (following up on a June 20 conference of the same name), where more than 150 attendees tuned in for an in-depth exploration focused on how law firms are navigating opportunity and risk – exploring the implications of the exponential maturity of #AI tools for the business and practice of law. 

Attendees heard from more than 20 legal industry leaders and luminaries as they addressed themes ranging from justification in capital investment to the unification of talent and toolsets, the development of use-policy and governance, and client perspectives, among many other strategic considerations.

The conference began with a table-setting keynote as Danielle Benecke (Baker McKenzie) helped to frame where we are within the AI hype cycle while busting some myths and unpacking the transformational impact of AI on the profession. Danielle focused on strategy, capability, and risk as she highlighted her own firm's story arc and tech progression that led them to place bets years ago on a coming paradigm shift that is impossible to ignore today. 

From there, the conference pivoted to lively panel discussions, beginning with a deeper dive into AI's business implications. Led by Ken Crutchfield (Wolters Kluwer and flanked by a distinguished panel comprised of David Cunningham (Reed Smith LLP), David Wang Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Nicole Bradick (Theory and Principle rinciple), tackling the timely topic of justifying investments in AI, emphasizing the precarious balance firms must strike between seizing AI's potential and managing the many inherent risks for early adopters. 

Next up, attendees heard from members of Troutman Pepper's Generative AI Task Force Alison Grounds, Christopher Forstner, Jessica Kozlov Davis, and Andrew Medeiros shared the firm's approach to consolidating and leveraging the collective skills and expertise of the firm's attorneys and other allied professionals, unifying talent and resources to help pilot, vet, guide, and educate around both the internal/operational, and external, client-facing and advisory challenges and opportunities that generative AI brings to bear. 

AI's trustworthiness was another central theme of the conference as a panel of legal luminaries including David Perez (Perkins Coie LLP), Jacqueline Schafer (Clearbrief), Scott Rechtschaffen (Littler), Natalie Pierce (Gunderson Dettmer) and Christian Lang (Lega) discussed building robust policies and frameworks to harness the power of generative AI safely, bridging the gap between risk, security, and tech innovation.

The conference also offered attendees a glimpse at two standout practical product demos. James Ding, (DraftWise), demonstrated how AI is being used to ignite data-driven decisions – giving rise to a new era of contracts and negotiations. Samuel Smolkin, (Office & Dragons), showcased an innovative solution to manage revisions to hundreds of documents seamlessly.

The focus then shifted to corporate legal departments as Ed Walters (vLex) moderated a candid and insightful discussion, debunking myths and exploring real-world applications of AI within in-house legal teams with a lively panel featuring Jason Barnwell (Microsoft), Jenn McCarron (Netflix , CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium), and Joël Roy (Novartis). 

The conference concluded with a fascinating discussion and debate examining the long-term viability of the traditional law firm model amidst the rapid emergence and proliferation of generative AI technologies and the concurrent rise of new players in the legal services market.

Led by the day's conference chairperson, Anand Upadhye (Modern Lawyer Strategies), this closing discussion energized everyone in attendance as Jae Um (Six Parsecs), Jennifer Leonard (Creative Lawyers) and Jordan Furlong (Law21) delved deep into the challenges and opportunities that await traditional law firm models.

Inflection Point: The Legal AI Revolution – Part 2 was another fantastic series of discussions with bold predictions, cautionary advice, and guidance. Hearing from our esteemed speakers and panelists, it is evident that the merging of law and AI presents both remarkable opportunities and daunting challenges.

The recurring themes surfaced throughout the day, emphasizing the necessity of bridging technological prowess with human intuition, setting ethical and operational guidelines, and the impending evolution of traditional law firm models in an AI-driven future – underscoring the importance of adaptability, forward-thinking leadership, and informed decision-making.

This event provided attendees with a clearer understanding of the emerging AI landscape and the tools and frameworks necessary to navigate inevitable change with confidence and strategic foresight. 

The full event replay is available on demand. 

Next, we turn our attention to Legal AI Pathfinder’s Assembly: New York.

The Legal AI Pathfinder's Assembly is a peer-to-peer forum and platform for law firms to share progress, experience, observations, and experimentation in an intimate setting as we collectively grapple with the development of strategic roadmaps that will help guide proper investment, education, and deployment of emerging AI tools and tech. 

Hosted at the New York offices of Simpson Thacher, the Legal AI Pathfinder's Assembly will showcase several law firms that are leaning in, proactively experimenting, and investing in the strategic integration of AI into both the firm's practice and business – providing attendees with an opportunity to assess and consider our firm readiness. At the same time, our peers offer an introspective look into the demanding yet profoundly rewarding process of identifying their own North Star in charting their strategic course forward.

Seating is limited. Reserve your spot today! Early bird - Confirm your place by October 11th and save $200