Getting home last night (actually early this morning) from #ILTACON24, I had a chance to finally catch my breath. I flew into Nashville early on Monday to catch the keynote, Hannah Fry explain that the single most human word that differentiates us from the machines is “POOP.” This made the 13-year-old boy in me very happy. 

Perhaps the best shirt I saw at ILTACON was worn by Jessi Adler, that showed the battery levels of attendees from Day 1 to Day 4 (in reality, ILTACON is 5 days, but I guess Sunday doesn’t count??) Needless to say, Day 4 battery levels are almost fully depleted.

 

It was great to meet up with old friends, new friends, previous podcast guests, talk with vendors about what they are doing these days (hint: a lot of it is Gen AI, but let’s keep that a secret.) After six-years of doing The Geek in Review Podcast, it is not unusual for me to have a conversation with someone, and five-minutes into the conversation suddenly remember that this person was on the podcast, and we both kind of forgot. I think that says more about my memory than it does about the quality of the podcast. At least, that’s the story I’m going with.

Even with all the happenings at ILTACON, there was a lot going on this week in the legal tech world. Actually, some of these events were happening because of ILTACON. So, here’s a weekly update of stories that caught my attention from my other podcast, the daily legal tech AI Lawyer Talking Tech. -GL

  • Training AI to Mentor Like a Partner: Insights from Dr. Megan Ma: Dr. Ma discusses the transformative potential of AI in the legal field, highlighting how her projects aim to democratize access to legal tools and resources. She also explored the ethical implications of AI, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in the development of legal tech solutions. Dr. Ma’s insights offer a compelling look at the intersection of law and technology, making her appearance a must-listen for those interested in the future of the legal profession.
  • K&L Gates Advises Leonardo.ai on Sale to Canva: K&L Gates played a key role in advising generative AI company Leonardo.ai during its acquisition by Canva. This deal underscores the growing importance of AI-driven creativity tools and Canva’s strategic move to integrate advanced AI into its platform​.
  • DISCO’s New CEO Focuses on Growth and AI Innovation: Eric Friedrichsen, the new CEO of legal tech firm DISCO, is steering the company toward growth by addressing cultural challenges, improving revenue, and introducing innovative AI products like Cecilia Auto Review, which enhances document review in e-discovery​.
  • Berkeley Law Launches AI-Focused Advanced Law Degree: The University of California, Berkeley Law School has introduced a groundbreaking Master’s of Laws program centered on artificial intelligence. This program, set to launch in 2025, is designed to equip legal professionals with the skills necessary to navigate AI’s growing impact on the legal industry.
  • LexisNexis Introduces Protégé Legal AI Assistant: LexisNexis announced the release of its third-generation AI capability, the Protégé Legal AI Assistant. This tool personalizes the AI experience for legal professionals by integrating past user behavior and firm data, aiming to become the go-to AI assistant in the legal industry​.
  • LexTalk World Conference 2024: The LexTalk World Conference brought together experts in law and technology to explore advancements in legal tech and digital transformation. The event emphasized knowledge sharing and collaboration, highlighting the evolving landscape of legal services​.
  • Aderant Showcases New AI Solutions at ILTACON 2024: At ILTACON 2024, Aderant unveiled several new AI-powered tools, including the Stridyn cloud platform and viAllocate for optimizing lawyer staffing. These innovations demonstrate Aderant’s commitment to advancing AI in legal tech and enhancing operational efficiency​.
  • Google Trains Its Employees To Shield Emails And Other Documents From Review: A federal court’s ruling against Google for maintaining a monopoly in online search could have far-reaching implications for the legal tech industry, especially in terms of how digital platforms operate and the innovation of legal research tools​.
  • UniCourt Unveils AI-Powered Litigation Data Platform at ILTACON 2024: UniCourt unveiled its new AI-powered litigation data platform at ILTACON 2024. This platform is designed to provide legal professionals with advanced tools to analyze and manage litigation data more effectively. By leveraging AI, UniCourt’s platform offers enhanced capabilities for identifying trends, predicting outcomes, and streamlining the legal research process, aiming to improve decision-making and operational efficiency in legal practices.
  • From code to conduct: ethical considerations for AI in legal practice | Reuters: A new code of conduct addressing the ethical considerations of using artificial intelligence (AI) in legal practice has been introduced, reflecting growing concerns about the responsible deployment of AI tools in the legal industry. The code emphasizes the importance of transparency, accountability, and fairness when integrating AI into legal workflows, and provides guidelines to help legal professionals navigate potential ethical dilemmas.