Legaltech Arcade

Introducing computational contracts, with Martin Clausen of Syngrato (HyperContracts)

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 09:39:29 +0100

In this episode, I talk to Martin Clausen, CEO of Syngrato about the exciting rise of computational contracts and his new product, HyperContracts. We discuss what computational contracts are, the benefits of building computational models of commercial relationships, simulating outcomes before and after execution, how version control works when dealing with computational contracts, why applying a coding mindset to contract drafting can improve quality and decrease risk, and why they are different from smart contracts!

Topics of discussion

The origins of HyperContracts
What computational contracts are and their benefits
Contract-as-a-service
Computational contracts for government framework agreements
Using event flows to run contractual simulations
How a contract can answer questions about itself
Contractual debugging and QA
Versioning and source control for computational contracts
How to get started with computational contracts

The other AI: Augmented intelligence in law, with Christophe Frerebeau of Della

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 00:26:54 +0100

In this episode, I talk to Christophe Frerebeau, Founder and CEO of Della. We discuss the evolution of AI in law, why other AI tools have been focusing on the wrong problem, the Q&A approach to AI contract review, the interaction of legal AI with voice services, how contracts can be re-designed to lead to better outcomes, the use of AI in contract negotiation and the areas where the legal AI hype is justified.

Topics of discussion

Introduction to Della and the problem it solves
From software engineer to legal tech founder
Why AI isn’t being used to its full extent in legal
Becoming the google of contract analysis
Augmented intelligence over artificial intelligence
Layering AI tools on top of popular voice services
How AI tools can support the full contract lifecycle
Use of AI in contract negotiation
The future of AI in law - what next?

Professional Services 2.0, with Adam Roney of Calls9

Thu, 13 May 2021 10:51:29 +0100

In this episode, I talk to Adam Roney, Founder and CEO of Calls9. We discuss the challenges facing professional services organisations, the move from professional services 1.0 to 2.0, the role of technology in driving change within professional services, the stages of a digital transformation journey, success factors when approach a digital transformation project and the importance of company culture.

Topics of discussion

From innovation competition winner to tech CEO
The origins and mission of Calls9
The evolving professional services landscape
Hybrid digital/physical professional services offerings
Empowering teams with connected digital workspaces
Improving customer experiences with technology
The dangers of risk averse culture and a lack of vision
Why digital transformation audits are so important
The role of company culture in digital transformation

Creating a digital-first law firm, with Tara Waters of Ashurst Advance Digital

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 01:24:36 +0100

In this episode, I talk to Tara Waters, Partner and Head of Ashurst Advance Digital, who began her career as a web developer and then moved into the law. We discuss the current state of tech within law firms, how the focus has evolved from digital services to digital products, considerations for law firms looking to build their own software, differentiating with technology, what legal tech can learn from open banking and the need for what Tara calls the "law-to-law model" to drive greater collaboration and client value.

Topics of discussion

Going from web development to law
The current shape of leal tech in law firms
From digital services to digital products
Roles within digital teams
The importance of buy vs. build for law firms
Structuring for digital legal service delivery
Whether law firms are serious about digital transformation
How law firms can differentiate with technology
The need for more collaboration between firms
Tips for getting into legal technology

Adventures of a legal tech intrapreneur, with Owen Oliver of StructureFlow

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 09:47:53 +0000

In this episode, I talk to Owen Oliver, Head of Product at StructureFlow and former co-founder of Workshare Transact. We discuss the challenges of building new tech products, how the legal tech landscape has changed in the last few years, why it made sense to take the Transact platform in-house at Workshare, his experiences as a legal tech intrapreneur and why he's excited to now be tackling visual modelling of corporate structures and transactions at StructureFlow.

Topics of discussion

The origins of Workshare Transact
Finding a co-founder
Why is made sense to take the product to Workshare
Pros and cons of building a new product in an established vendor
The key factors for the success of Workshare Transact
Adoption challenges for new technology
The impact of the sale of Workshare to Litera
The future of Transaction Management
Background to his recent move to StructureFlow
Visual modelling or corporate structures and transactions
Why 'going visual' is the future of legal tech

Finding marginal gains to build better products, with Tom Dunlop of Summize

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 11:28:34 +0000

In this episode, I talk to Tom Dunlop, Founder and CEO of Summize. We discuss his journey from representing Team GB in badminton and getting into sports agency, to working as an in-house lawyer for fast-growth tech companies and founding Summize. We explore how legal tech vendors can succeed by leveraging the 1% principle to focus on delivering simple, yet high-value solutions that can deliver significant benefits for their customers.

Topics of discussion

The importance and benefits of automated contract summaries
From European No. 1 badminton player to legal tech founder
Bringing a sports mentality into professional life
Series A and the importance of securing finance
Advice for lawyers wanting to get into legal tech
Why being a creative lawyer can unlock career opportunities
Using video walkthroughs to humanise contract negotiation
Key factors currently impacting in-house legal teams
Analysis paralysis caused by a crowded legal tech market
How to remove friction when selling legal technology
Key factors when onboarding new customers
The future of legal tech post-pandemic
The deconstruction of one-stop-shop platforms

A journey in legal tech product management, with Andy Wishart of Agiloft

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 23:28:56 +0000

In this episode, I talk to Andy Wishart, Chief Product Officer at Agiloft. We discuss his journey from studying AI and Psychology at University, co-founding ContractExpress and becoming an accidental product manager, to cracking the US market, selling the business to Thomson Reuters and starting the next chapter of his career with Agiloft in January 2021.

Topics of discussion

AI in the late nineties
The inception of ContractExpress / Business Integrity
The importance of early development customers
Cracking the US market and working in Silicon Valley
The rise of legal operations
Selling ContractExpress to Thomson Reuters in 2015
Moving from a small company to a large corporate
Hopes for the future of ContractExpress
The accidental product leader
Tips for budding product managers
Why Agiloft is an exciting challenge
The future of CLM with Agiloft

Buying and deploying legal tech tools, with Daniel Porus of Legatics

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 00:35:25 +0000

In this episode, I talk to Daniel Porus, Chief Commercial Officer at Legatics. We discuss the key considerations for organisations looking to acquire a legal tech tool, how they can successfully navigate the procurement and onboarding process, and what needs to be in place to ensure they see value and return on investment.

Topics of discussion

Winning the hearts and minds of key stakeholders
Pre-sales and solution consulting approaches
Successfully navigating IT and InfoSec
The key markers for successful vendor engagement
Pilots and interactive proof of concepts
What ROI looks like for transaction management tools
What metrics you should measure to ensure success
The importance of a well planned change programme
How to ensure success and engagement post-sale
What next for Legatics in the next 12 months and beyond

Next generation document automation, with David Howorth and Giles Thompson of Avvoka

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 13:50:30 +0000

In this episode, I talk to David Howorth (Co-Founder & Director) and Giles Thompson (Head of Growth) at Avvoka. We discuss the role of lawyers in tech, the current state of document automation, the impact of the global pandemic on tech adoption and what constitutes a next generation document automation tool.

Topics of discussion

The role of lawyers in legal tech
The impact of Covid-19 on the demand for document automation
How the pandemic will change the law firm status quo
The inconsistent adoption of document automation tools
Why document automation tools remain under-utilised
How law firms can structure for legal tech success
The rise of legal engineering
Next generation document automation
The need for full document lifecycle tools
Rethinking the nature of contracts
Automated document mark-ups
What's next for Avvoka in the next 12 months and beyond

Digitizing transaction management, with Haley Altman of Litera

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 14:53:32 +0100

In this week's episode, I talk to Haley Altman, Global Director of Business Development & Strategy at Litera, and previously the CEO of Doxly (now Litera Transact). We discuss Haley's journey from Silicon Valley lawyer to LegalTech founder, current consolidation in the market, as well as the present and future state of transaction management and DealTech.

Topics of discussion

Haley's background and path to becoming founding CEO of Doxly
The current state of transaction management technology
Recent transaction management deals and market consolidation
The exciting future for Litera Transact
The impact of Covid-19 on the adoption of transaction management platforms
What next for transaction management?
The possibilities for improving due diligence processes
Fully automating deals - not just checklists
The role of AI in deal delivery
Building a 'deal lifecycle management' platform
Challenges facing transaction management platforms

The rise of no-code legal automation, with Evan Wong of Checkbox

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 23:37:01 +0100

In this week's episode, I talk to Evan Wong, CEO and co-founder of Checkbox.ai. We discuss the importance of no-code platforms in legal, what it takes to make them a success and the need for organisations to shift from a services to a product mindset.

Topics of discussion

The key elements of a no-code platform
The inception of Checkbox
Why early stage research and validation is critical to product success
The importance of no-code for corporate legal teams
Productisation of legal services
Why law firms struggle to shift from a services to product mindset
The network effect - making platforms viral
The importance of risk tolerance when deploying no-code platforms
The future of no-code platforms and their place in an ever-consolidating market

Building a legal platform, with Stuart Barr of HighQ

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 02:00:49 +0100

In this week's episode, I talk to Stuart Barr - Chief Product & Strategy Officer at HighQ (part of Thomson Reuters). We discuss what it takes to build and sell a legal platform and how to ensure customers see value from the product, as well as the move towards a single 'legal operating system'.

Topics of discussion

Is LegalTech a thing?
Defining a legal platform
Benefits of a toolkit platform vs. point solution
Challenges of selling a platform
The move towards productised solution templates
How to ensure clients see value from a platform
Measuring and demonstrating ROI
Structuring a product team to build a platform
The importance of integrations
Market consolidation
What next for legal platforms?