Legal AI Pathfinder’s Assembly : Chicago

On March 6-7, more than 100 people gathered for the sold-out Legal AI Pathfinder’s Assembly: Chicago at the beautiful, contemporary offices of Chapman and Cutler in downtown Chicago

Developed as a think tank and peer-to-peer exchange, industry leaders, innovators, practitioners, and solution providers converged for two days in Chicago to dissect, debate, and define the future of law in an AI-enabled world.

Featuring more than 40 different speakers spanning 18 discrete sessions, the conference illuminated a path forward where law firms are not just passive observers but active participants in shaping their destiny with AI – enabling lawyers to work with and alongside emerging tools and tech to a degree where we are not merely adapting to change, but actively driving it.

Attendees were treated to a behind the curtain look at some new tools and platforms at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney as well as a walk-through of some recent success stories at Baker & McKenzie.

We talked about navigating the Build vs. Buy dilemma that many firms are grappling with – examining critical factors like cost, time, and internal expertise that influence these decisions within the realm of generative AI.

And we also explored the transformative role of AI in litigation and the evolution of AI tools and their impact on litigation outcomes and how cutting-edge teams are navigating huge amounts of litigation data efficiently with AI as well as a lively debate around whether or not AI is actually saving clients' money.

Attendees also got a peek at new and evolving product offerings from leading solution providers such as DraftWise, Centari, Thomson Reuters, Infodash, Hike2, Clearbrief and vLex.

As we reflect on the insights and inspiration from the assembly, it's clear that the journey of integrating AI into legal practice is as much about embracing change as it is about steering it, ensuring that the legal profession remains resilient, relevant, and ready for the future.

Ironically, given the tech-forward focus one might expect from any AI conference, we talked a lot about the human component – people, feelings, and change. Law firms are a people business. And people are dealing with - as Jae Um put it “a swirl of feelings” to do with how we work and what defines and threatens our success as lawyers and firms.

The Chapman and Cutler panel “What We Talk About When We Talk About AI” on day one of the conference, also explored change, breaking down the concepts of Homeostasis and Allostasis. In other words, order and disorder. Our own nature is constantly reaching for a sense of stability by maintaining the status quo or an environment where things “stay the same.” But law firms are going to have to change, and it may not always be comfortable. In the current era of tech proliferation, how can firms achieve stability through change?

More questions than answers…

The emotional and human aspects of AI integration surfaced throughout the program, as we addressed concerns about job replacement and the evolving nature of the work itself.

• Is it time for a new talent model in the legal profession?
• How as law firms can we uncouple the revenue model from the means of production? 
• And how will AI reshape the corporate (legal) wallet, impacting the way that firms price (and clients value) the work that we do?

As David Cambria said in his opening keynote, “missed opportunities will cost us more than our mistakes.” We miss 100% of the shots that we don’t take.

Ilona Logvinova, Managing Counsel, Head of Innovation at McKinsey & Company also echoed, “it’s time to go back to first principles.” A data driven approach is necessary.

Ilona led the opening panel on day two of the conference featuring Brad Christmas, CIO at Foley & Lardner, Casey Flaherty, Chief Strategy Officer at LexFusion, and Darth Vaughn, Managing Director Legal Ops at Ford Motor Company as they riffed on the powerful analogy of a great surgeon working in a dirty hospital. Indeed, law firms need to be more data-driven. The data is there. As is the power of analysis. We just need the right algorithm and a better understanding of our own workflows.

Regardless of the size of the firm or its appetite, the single best thing we can do is create a guiding light for the firm’s approach to data, which can be used it to gain support, filter out the noise, and provide focus​.

Tom Baldwin, CEO & Founder, at Entegrata, drove this point home within his panel as well which also featured Cindy Bare, Chief Data and Innovation Officer at Frost Brown Todd, Rachel Shields Williams, Director, Knowledge Management Enablement & Insights at Sidley Austin, and Andrew Sprogis, Chief Innovation Officer at Katten Muchin Rosenman. The takeaway here is that firms can be solving problems today with data. But far too many are paralyzed and stuck on the idea of perfection. We cannot let the weight or scope of this need stop firms from starting down this road. “Just because some firms have data teams, doesn’t mean data isn’t everyone’s job. Data is everyone’s job!”

Exciting and scary. But this requires a synergistic, collaborative approach if we are to become the designers of a new era for law.

Lawyers’ work has never been more important than it is today. But law firms cannot expect to be rewarded for inefficiency. We must meet our attorneys and clients where they stand and work from that point forward. People are the product, the problem, and the solution.

The fear that human inputs are going to be diminished as AI and automation takes hold in society is something that we must contend with. But GenAI can be both a tool and a co-worker.

Again, as the brilliant Jae Um said:

“AI is being discovered, not designed.  We need to take a deep breath, take a step back, look at the bigger picture, and flip the script. The question isn’t whether AI will change how we live and work. The key questions are when, where, and how?  The answers are murky but rooted in what people will and won’t do. The challenge facing law firms today is a human one, and now is the time for law firm leaders to rise to the occasion with vision, curiosity, courage, and empathy.”

Thanks again to all of our speakers, sponsors, and panelists contributing to this fascinating two-day forum as we shared wins and losses, progress, milestones and lessons learned at the intersection of digital transformation, data literacy, and firm strategy.

Thanks to Damien Riehl, VP, Solutions Champion, at vLex for chairing the conference and leading us through these two captivating days of discussion and discovery.

A huge thanks to our host firm and lead partner, Chapman and Cutler. And thanks again to our event sponsors – vLex, Thomson Reuters, Centari, DraftWise, Clearbrief, Hike2, and Infodash.

Each of your contributions helped to make this event all that it was. And we look forward to doing it again soon!



COMING NEXT:

AI x KM: The Next Frontier in Legal Knowledge Management

New York // April 24th // 2024

more

Law Firm Data Strategy & Modernization

New York // June 27 // 202

more