Legaltech Arcade

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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