AI for Smart People: Legal Tech Experiences
Cheryl, Kathy, and Eric introduced themselves and discussed their experiences in law and technology. Cheryl emphasized the goal of their “AI for Smart People” series, which is to bring together the legal community to learn about and discuss issues related to artificial intelligence. Kathy, co-founder and CEO of Streamline AI, shared her non-traditional journey from lawyer to tech entrepreneur. Eric, a criminal defense attorney, discussed his experience working in the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s office and his transition into technology. The trio also discussed the benefits and potential risks of using AI in legal practice.

Efficient Transcription and Legal Workflow Streamlining
Cheryl and Eric discussed the costly and inefficient practice of core reporting, which involves hiring a reporter to transcribe depositions, and the need for a more efficient and cost-effective process. Eric explained how his company uses technology to provide a near-verbatim transcript within 90 minutes of a deposition ending, eliminating the need to order a certified transcript unless necessary. Cheryl praised the technology’s potential to change the way court reporting is approached in the future. Kathy then discussed how her product, Streamline, aims to streamline legal workflows and solve the problem of legal teams and business teams not being on the same page. She highlighted how the tool automates tasks, allows for real-time collaboration, and provides valuable metrics. Cheryl then brought up the question of how being lawyers influences Eric and Kathy’s approach to developing and delivering their products and services, particularly in relation to confidentiality, compliance, and other considerations. Both emphasized the importance of designing their products with legal teams in mind and ensuring that confidentiality and privilege are preserved. They also touched on the challenge of balancing innovation with compliance and the importance of getting legal requests out of generic systems that were not designed with these issues in mind.

AI in Legal Industry: Risks, Trust, and Responsibility
Cheryl, Kathy, and Eric discussed the use of AI in the legal industry, the potential risks of relying solely on AI, and how to build trust in legal with AI. They agreed that AI should not replace lawyers, but rather assist them in their work. Kathy stressed the importance of disclosing when AI is used to clients and the need for human intervention when using AI to provide legal advice. Eric highlighted the need for proper training data for AI models and cautioned against the misuse of publicly available AI tools. The group also discussed the need for responsible and transparent use of AI in the legal profession.

Stakeholders, Security, and Compliance
Eric, Kathy, and Cheryl discussed the importance of identifying the right stakeholders for their product and demonstrating reliability, security, and confidentiality. Kathy shared that their company recently obtained their SOC 2 Type 2 certification, which is a significant achievement for their stage of maturation. Eric highlighted the need for high-level security protocols, even though traditional vendors might be mistrusted. The team also discussed the importance of compliance certifications for their companies and the need for continuous improvement.

Transforming Legal Industry: Product Potential Discussed
Cheryl, Eric, Kathy, and an unknown speaker discussed the potential of their products to transform the legal industry. Kathy emphasized the importance of legal work being a very human activity and stated that her product, Streamline, aims to empower corporate legal teams by making their work more efficient. Eric highlighted how US Legal Vertex, Esquire, his product, can improve the legal process by providing faster transcripts and audio-video deposition capabilities, aiming to make these tools accessible to all attorneys, not just a select few. Both emphasized the importance of involving the legal community in their products’ development to improve them further. Kathy wrapped up by stating that their goal is to help transform the way corporate legal teams work, and Eric concluded by emphasizing the importance of his product’s accessibility and its potential to make the legal process more efficient.