Share
AI and the Future of Law
Live from Legal Week 2025: Unveiling a New AI Course for Lawyers
Ep. 20
•
In this special Legal Week edition of 2030 Vision, co-hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack reunite in person to unveil a groundbreaking new online course built to help legal professionals lead through AI-driven change. Designed for law firm leaders, individual lawyers, and legal organizations of all sizes, the course offers actionable frameworks for navigating disruption with confidence and clarity.
Jen and Bridget share behind-the-scenes insights into how the course was created, what makes it different from others on the market, and why mindset—not tools—is the most powerful driver of innovation. From solo practitioners to law students, this course empowers learners to become proactive change agents in a rapidly evolving legal landscape. They also explore what it means to build a culture of curiosity, how to move beyond “innovation by press release,” and why learner-centric legal education is the key to staying competitive. With reflections on the future of law, leadership, and scalable education, this episode offers both practical takeaways and big-picture vision.
Explore the new AI course for legal professionals: https://aaaicourse.org/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=2030vision&utm_campaign=ep20launch
Built for law firm leaders, lawyers, and legal professionals ready to lead through AI-driven change.
Key Discussion Points:
- The Future of Legal Education: Why traditional models no longer meet the moment—and how this new AI course helps close the gap.
- Tools vs. Thinking: The critical difference between using AI and adopting an AI-ready mindset.
- Leadership in Disruption: Why AI change management is more about people and mindset than the technology itself.
- Culture Shift in Law: How fostering curiosity, experimentation, and friendly competition can drive innovation across firms.
- Scaling Innovation: Lessons in learner-centric design and the power of democratizing legal knowledge at scale.
- Inside a Legal Transformation: What the American Arbitration Association’s journey teaches us about overcoming barriers to change.
- Top Skills for the AI Era: The five rising skills legal professionals need—and how firms can help develop them.
- Signals for Future Talent: Why certifications, AI badges, and firm-wide learning are becoming key to attracting the next generation of lawyers.
- Beyond the Course: How partnerships like PLI amplify reach—and what’s coming next for legal education and access to justice.
Keywords:
AI in law, legal education, change management, legal leadership, AI course for lawyers, innovation, legal tech, professional development, culture of curiosity, Legal Week, PLI, ChatGPT, Claude, online learning, AI, law, legal technology, online course, change management, future of law, AAA
About the Podcast:
2030 Vision: AI and the Future of Law is your essential guide to how artificial intelligence is transforming the legal profession. Hosted by Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard, this podcast dives into cutting-edge AI technologies, their applications, and the trends shaping the future of law. Join us to stay informed, inspired, and prepared for the AI revolution.
Produced by: Aaron Tran for the American Arbitration Association.
More episodes
View all episodes
46. How AI Is Changing Contract Law with Dave Hoffman
45:00||Ep. 46Artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape one of the most foundational areas of legal practice: contract law.In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Professor Dave Hoffman (University of Pennsylvania Law School) to explore how tools like Claude are influencing contract interpretation, legal research, and legal education. They discuss how AI can help judges interpret ambiguous language, what it means for the value of transactional lawyers, and why defining an “AI-ready” lawyer is harder than it sounds.Topics DiscussedUsing Claude to analyze law journals’ AI policies at scaleHow AI can support judges in interpreting contract languageThe changing value of transactional lawyers in an AI-driven worldHow legal education is adapting to rapid technological changeRethinking legal judgment, training, and professional value45. AI Recording Tools and Attorney-Client Privilege in the Age of AI
32:32||Ep. 45AI recording tools can make lawyers more efficient—but what are the risks to confidentiality?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack examine how AI recording tools intersect with attorney–client privilege, professional responsibility rules, and the evolving skill demands of an AI-driven workforce.Topics discussed include:How AI recording platforms may introduce third-party privilege risksState consent laws and the ethical limits of secret recordingNew York Bar Formal Opinion 2025-6 and deceptive practicesWhether recording changes how clients communicate with their lawyersThe risk of AI-generated summaries misinterpreting legal nuanceA risk-based framework for deciding when (and when not) to recordNew Wharton–Accenture research on how AI is reshaping job skills and compensationAI tools can improve legal work—but only when lawyers understand the boundaries that protect trust, competence, and confidentiality.44. AI Agents and the Widening Divide in Legal with Zach Abramowitz
34:13||Ep. 44As the legal profession enters 2026, the conversation about AI is shifting. It is no longer about awareness or early adoption. It is about measurable impact.In this episode of AI and the Future of Law, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Zach Abramowitz for a legal market check-in on AI agents, ROI, competitive pressure, and the widening divide between AI superusers and skeptics.They discuss:The shift from AI assistants to AI agentsWhy 2026 is about measuring ROI, not experimentationThe rise of AI-first firms and competitive pressure on traditional modelsVenture capital, private equity, and renewed conversations about external ownershipThe growing mindset divide within the professionAI is no longer a side experiment in legal. It is becoming embedded in strategy, pricing, and firm structure.43. Claude Code, Vibe Coding, and Creative Lawyers at Work
34:11||Ep. 43What happens when lawyers stop waiting for permission and start building with AI? Jen and Bridget explore the rise of creative associates and what tools like Claude Code reveal about the future of legal work. From agentic AI systems that refactor how coding gets done to junior lawyers who “vibe-code” solutions to everyday firm problems, this conversation looks at how innovation is increasingly bottom-up in law firms.Topics covered include:Claude Code and agentic AI for knowledge workWhy creative associates are driving real changeVibe coding and lowering the barrier to innovationCultural shifts law firms need to support experimentationWhat this means for junior lawyers and legal training42. Should Lawyers Trust AI? Inside Harvey and the Future of Legal Work
44:38||Ep. 42Can lawyers really trust AI—and what does “trust” mean in modern legal practice?In this episode of AI and the Future of Law, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Gabe Pereyra, President and Co-Founder of Harvey AI, to explore how generative AI is moving from a productivity tool to core infrastructure for law firms.Gabe explains how leading firms are deploying AI at scale, why hallucinations are no longer the central concern, and how governance, auditability, and human-in-the-loop systems shape real trust in legal AI. The conversation also dives into the future of the billable hour, lawyer training, and why AI is best understood as leverage—not labor replacement.In this episode:When lawyers will trust AI systemsHuman-in-the-loop governance and supervisionAI as law firm infrastructure, not just softwareWhy the billable hour isn’t disappearingTraining lawyers faster in an AI-first era41. Private Equity and the Future of Law Firms: Investing in AI
31:19||Ep. 41Private equity interest in U.S. law firms is accelerating, and AI is a major reason why. In this Season 3 kickoff, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore how ethics rules collide with the capital demands of AI, and why the real story isn’t short-term profits but long-term investment in legal infrastructure. They unpack Rule 5.4, the rise of the MSO model as a workaround for outside investment, and what “ownership” really means when control over data, technology, and professional judgment is at stake.The conversation also examines emerging judicial approaches to AI disclosure and what they signal for competence, evidence, and governance as AI becomes foundational to legal practice.40. Predictions for 2026 in AI and the Law
36:20||Ep. 40What will AI actually change in law by 2026—and how should firms, courts, and legal institutions prepare? In this season two finale of AI and the Future of Law, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack step back from the hype cycle to offer grounded, practical predictions about the next few years.They explore Google’s Gemini 3 and the shift from chatbots to agentic systems, the “platformization” of legal services driven by MSOs, ALSPs, and private equity, and the new talent demands this creates inside law firms. Along the way, they introduce ideas like AI legal twins, AI co-mediators, and opt-in court pilots for low-stakes disputes—and ask what leaders across the justice system should be planning for now.Topics Covered:How Gemini 3 and agentic AI systems move beyond simple chatbotsWhy private equity, MSOs, and ALSPs may “platformize” legal servicesThe new talent equation: from 1Ls to AI leaders in the C-suiteProvocative ideas like AI legal twins and AI co-mediatorsHow courts might experiment with opt-in AI pilots for low-stakes cases39. Building AI Tools for All: Closing the Justice Gap with Sateesh Nori & Tom Martin
36:03||Ep. 39How can AI expand access to justice for the millions who can’t afford a lawyer? In this episode, hosts Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack speak with Sateesh Nori and Tom Martin about AI tools reshaping legal help, including Depositron for security deposit disputes and Law Answers AI for jurisdiction-specific guidance.They discuss Sateesh’s journey from housing court to AI innovation, Tom’s work building scalable solutions for the public, and the profession’s ongoing debate over “second-tier justice.” What emerges is a compelling vision for AI as a bridge—not a barrier—to legal help.Topics: • How AI is transforming access to justice • Why the legal system leaves most people without help • The creation of Depositron and LawAnswers AI • “Second-tier justice” vs. real-world legal outcomes • Moonshot visions for AI-enabled legal service delivery38. Making Talk Cheap: Are AI Tools Devaluing Legal Writing?
38:35||Ep. 38Is AI making legal writing too easy—and too cheap? In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore how generative AI tools are reshaping writing as a professional skill. They discuss the paper “Making Talk Cheap,” which argues that when anyone can generate polished text, writing loses its value as a signal of skill, effort, or merit. What does this mean for hiring, advancement, and lawyering in the AI era? Plus, they unpack a new Wharton study showing how enterprise AI use is soaring—with real ROI—while sharing personal stories of AI’s practical impact.Topics Covered:Wharton’s 2025 report on enterprise AI adoption and ROI (vs. the “failed pilots” narrative)How generative AI is leveling the playing field in writing qualityThe Making Talk Cheap study on devalued written work and hiring signalsImplications for legal hiring, promotion, and skill development in the AI era