Cracking Legal Innovation
Step inside the world of legal innovation – the unsung individuals and teams working tirelessly to modernise a centuries old profession and bring it into the 21st century. This podcast tells the untold stories of the struggles, triumphs, and lessons learned by the people driving change in the legal industry.
From pitching new tools to skeptical lawyers, to proving ROI in an industry where time is money, we uncover what it truly means to innovate in a space resistant to change and shine a spotlight on the human side of change-making in a profession steeped in tradition.
S2 Ep2 - The non-lawyer skills firms need to hire and train for
Ilona Logvinova, Global Chief AI Officer at HSF Kramer, joins Daniel Porus and Anthony Seale to explore the non-lawyer skills law firms need to stay competitive. From hybrid intelligence and systems thinking to AI oversight, inductive reasoning, and celebrating tech talent, Ilona shares how firms can rethink delivery, mindset, and culture to build the legal workforce of the next decade.
S2 Ep1 - The role of data in law firm innovation
What if every innovation decision at your firm was backed by hard data — not gut feel?
Michelle Mahoney, Chief Innovation Officer at King & Wood Mallesons, joins Anthony and Daniel to share how she’s built a rigorous, data-first approach to legal innovation: from designing experiments before they start, to capturing passive data that tells the real story of adoption and impact.
Special episode - Season 1 wrap up: the big themes
In this special season 1 wrap-up, co-hosts Anthony Seale and Daniel Porus reflect on 10 conversations with some of the sharpest innovation leaders in legal – and the themes that kept coming up again and again. No guest this time, just an honest look at what it really takes to drive innovation inside a law firm: the culture barriers, the adoption challenges, the ROI debate and where differentiation is actually heading.
Season 2 is coming very soon – catch up on everything from season 1 before it drops.
S1 Ep1 - The importance of culture when innovating
What truly drives innovation in law firms? According to Isabel Parker, Chief Innovation Officer at White & Case and author of Successful Digital Transformation in Law Firms, it’s not just technology – it’s culture.
In this episode, Isabel unpacks why culture is the biggest barrier – and opportunity – when it comes to transforming legal services. She reveals surprising strengths of partnership models that many overlook, and why working with law firm culture beats fighting against it.
S1 Ep2 - The role of the client in innovation
What happens when someone who spent years evaluating law firms from the client side joins a firm? Chris Grant, Managing Director of Client Value at Goodwin and former in-house leader at Barclays and HSBC, knows both perspectives.
In this episode, Chris shares why genuine client collaboration – not imposition – drives the best innovation outcomes, and what clients are really looking for when they ask about your technology.
S1 Ep3 - Managing global rollouts
How do you implement technology across 20+ offices in different countries without it falling apart? Amol Bargaje, Innovation Lead at Mayer Brown, has done it repeatedly.
In this episode, Amol reveals why problem clarity matters more than the technology itself, how to secure the executive sponsors who actually move the needle, and why “one-size-fits-all” rollouts fail in global firms.
S1 Ep4 - Measuring ROI in legal tech
Hugo Cassidy is both a practicing Partner at Pinsent Masons and a technology champion – a rare combination that gives him unique insight into what actually drives value.
In this episode, Hugo shares Pinsent Masons’ structured approach to measuring ROI beyond simple cost cutting, and why asking “what benefit does this bring?” from day one changes everything about technology decisions.
S1 Ep5 - How to drive a successful implementation
Why do so many technology implementations fail in law firms? Andrea Miskolczi, Managing Director of InterAlia Consulting and former innovation lead at Denton’s and Wolff Theiss, has seen both success and failure up close.
In this episode, Andrea reveals why you should think about implementation from day one, how gamification actually works with lawyers, and why change requires empathy over logic.
S1 Ep6 - Building an innovation team
Jeff Westcott returned to Akin to take on a challenge: building an innovation function from scratch in a firm where innovation had been happening sporadically, without coordination or visibility.
In this episode, Jeff discusses bringing order to “brownfield” environments, shifting perceptions from “back office IT” to trusted adviser, and why understanding your firm’s diverse subcultures matters more than any playbook.
S1 Ep7 - A law firm partner perspective: Why do I use legal tech?
What makes a practicing partner become a technology champion? Rusty Fleming, Partner at Nelson Mullins with a busy real estate practice, doesn’t even send itemized bills anymore.
In this episode, Rusty explains his technology journey from Palm Pilots to modern transaction management, and how operating on fee ranges rather than hourly billing completely changes your relationship with efficiency – and with clients.
S1 Ep8 - Scaling legal tech
David Campbell remembers walking to his first Legatics demo thinking “why on earth did I agree to this meeting?”- then being blown away. That moment kicked off A&O Shearman’s journey with an early-stage startup.
In this episode, David and Shruti Ajitsaria share how a global elite firm takes calculated risks on new technology, navigating InfoSec concerns, and why partner sponsorship is non-negotiable when scaling innovation.
S1 Ep9 - The ideal law firm and technology provider relationship
What makes a great law firm-vendor relationship? Andrei Salajan, Director of Legal Tech and Innovation at Schoenherr, has a framework: Product, People, Partnership.
In this episode, Andrei shares how product development expectations have completely changed in recent years, why the people behind solutions matter as much as the technology itself, and what true partnership really looks like beyond the sales pitch.
S1 Ep10 - Inside the client-firm partnership for legal tech success
Kerry Westland leads a team of nearly 80 people driving innovation at Addleshaw Goddard – a 15-year transformation journey that’s earned recognition as Europe’s Most Digital Law Firm.
In this episode, Kerry shares why honesty about incremental improvements beats promising dramatic cost cutting, and how client collaboration – not isolation – has been key to embedding innovation into everything the firm does.