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AI and the Future of Law

AI and the Future of Law

Practising Law Institute 54 Episodes Oct 6, 2026

AI and the Future of Law is a podcast that explores how artificial intelligence is transforming the legal industry. Hosted by Bridget McCormack and Jen Leonard, each episode covers cutting-edge technologies, trends, and strategies. The show provides insights for legal professionals and tech enthusiasts interested in the future of law. It is presented by the American Arbitration Association with Creative Lawyers and distributed by PLI.

Episodes

AI Agents Broke Out. What the Hugging Face Incident Means for Lawyers
AI Agents Broke Out. What the Hugging Face Incident Means for Lawyers Oct 6, 2026 46:30 Season 4 of AI and the Future of Law begins with one of the most unsettling AI stories of the year: the Hugging Face incident, involving reports that OpenAI agents escaped a training sandbox, coordinated with one another, and accessed external systems.In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack unpack what happened, why it captured so much attention, and what it reveals about the next phase
Season 3 in Review: What AI Is Changing About the Future of Law
Season 3 in Review: What AI Is Changing About the Future of Law Sep 22, 2026 9:27 Season 3 of AI and the Future of Law explored a legal profession moving quickly from AI experimentation to real transformation.In this special recap episode, we revisit some of the season’s most memorable conversations about legal AI, agentic systems, law firm strategy, AI-native business models, professional competency, and the role human judgment will continue to play as the technology advances.
How Judges Can Use AI Without Losing Human Judgment with Justice Jerod Tufte
How Judges Can Use AI Without Losing Human Judgment with Justice Jerod Tufte Sep 1, 2026 32:02 How can judges use AI without delegating the human judgment at the center of their role?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Justice Jerod Tufte of the North Dakota Supreme Court for a conversation about AI, judicial workflows, public legal data, access to justice, and the future of courts.In this episode:How judges can use AI while preserving human judgmentWhy AI shoul
Kirkland’s $500 Million AI Bet and the Future of Junior Lawyers
Kirkland’s $500 Million AI Bet and the Future of Junior Lawyers Aug 18, 2026 28:02 What does Kirkland & Ellis’ $500 million AI bet mean for Big Law — and for junior lawyers?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack discuss Kirkland’s reported investment in building its own proprietary AI platform and what it signals about the legal industry’s shift from AI adoption to AI building. They explain why Kirkland’s strategy may make sense for Kirkland, but why other firms
What Does It Mean to Be an AI-Ready Lawyer? Farrah Pepper and Kirsten Talmage on AI Competency
What Does It Mean to Be an AI-Ready Lawyer? Farrah Pepper and Kirsten Talmage on AI Competency Aug 4, 2026 35:27 What does it mean to be an AI-ready lawyer?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Farrah Pepper, legal innovation partner at Harvey, and Kirsten Talmage, chief strategy officer at Practising Law Institute, to discuss The AI-Ready Lawyer: A Competency Framework for the AI Era.Farrah and Kirsten explain why the legal profession needs a shared language for AI competency, how
What Is an AI-Native Law Firm? John Nay on Norm AI and Norm Law
What Is an AI-Native Law Firm? John Nay on Norm AI and Norm Law Jul 21, 2026 27:28 What is an AI-native law firm?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by John Nay, founder and CEO of Norm AI and Norm Law, for a conversation about agentic law, AI-native legal services, and what it means to build legal work around agents rather than copilots.John explains how legal and regulatory reasoning can be embedded into AI agents, allowing them to perform first-pass
How AI Is Reshaping In-House Legal Teams with Nick Fleisher
How AI Is Reshaping In-House Legal Teams with Nick Fleisher Jul 7, 2026 29:54 How is AI changing the work of in-house legal teams?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Nick Fleisher, co-founder and CEO of Sandstone, an AI-native platform built specifically for in-house legal teams. Nick discusses how AI is transforming legal operations by helping legal departments manage intake, triage work, connect business context, and move from reactive service
Can Law Firms Redesign Themselves for AI? Jen Leonard on Unprecedented
Can Law Firms Redesign Themselves for AI? Jen Leonard on Unprecedented Jun 23, 2026 36:18 Can law firms redesign themselves for a world shaped by generative AI?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Sharon Crane, president of Practising Law Institute, for a conversation about Jen’s new book, Unprecedented: Designing a Human-Centered Law Firm When Everything Is Changing. Together, they explore why law firm transformation is difficult, how storytelling can make
Is Legal Tech in a Bubble? Nikki Shaver on AI Strategy and Legal Tech Growth
Is Legal Tech in a Bubble? Nikki Shaver on AI Strategy and Legal Tech Growth Jun 9, 2026 36:44 The legal tech market is growing fast—but is it a bubble, or the beginning of a new era for legal services?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Nikki Shaver, co-founder and CEO of Legaltech Hub, to discuss how AI is reshaping law firm strategy, pricing, technology selection, and competition. Nikki explains why firms are moving beyond efficiency as the main measure of AI
What Happens When AI Agents Make Contracts? Bridget McCormack on LCP
What Happens When AI Agents Make Contracts? Bridget McCormack on LCP May 26, 2026 38:17 What happens when AI agents start making contracts with other AI agents?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack explore Legal Context Protocol, or LCP, a new open protocol designed to help legal terms become discoverable, verifiable, and connected to agentic transactions. Bridget explains why existing e-commerce legal infrastructure may not translate cleanly to a world where machines ne
Can AI Make Lawyers Better? Daniel Schwarcz on AI and Human Legal Reasoning
Can AI Make Lawyers Better? Daniel Schwarcz on AI and Human Legal Reasoning May 12, 2026 33:28 Can AI help lawyers learn—or does it weaken the skills legal training is meant to build?In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by Daniel Schwarcz, Fredrikson & Byron Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School, to discuss new empirical research on artificial intelligence and human legal reasoning. Daniel explains a randomized control trial studying how law
The Am Law 100 Power Rankings: What’s Changing in Big Law with Jae Um
The Am Law 100 Power Rankings: What’s Changing in Big Law with Jae Um Apr 28, 2026 53:03 The latest Am Law 100 power rankings reveal a legal industry undergoing rapid transformation—driven by shifting demand, intensifying competition, and the growing influence of AI. In this episode, Jen Leonard and Bridget McCormack are joined by legal industry analyst Jae Um to break down what’s changing in Big Law. They explore the rise of “apex predator” firms, widening performance gaps, evolving

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