Ethical Implications of Generative AI for the Michigan Lawyer: Navigating the Digital Landscape Frequently Asked Questions (December 2023 Version) Dennis Kennedy* Executive Summary How might the evolution of generative AI impact the legal profession in the next 5-10 years? In the rapidly evolving landscape of legal technology, AI has emerged as a powerful tool with transformative potential. This list of Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQ”) is tailored for non-technical lawyers and seeks to demystify the ethical and operational aspects of AI in the legal arena. From understanding the basic defi ..read more

I got the chance to do a guest spot on Terrell Turner’s Law Firms and Finance podcast and the episode was just released. It seemed like a great topic for my first blog post of the new year. The episode is called “How to Figure Out Legal Technology” and you can listen to and watch it here.  What technology is the best fit for your law firm? Terrell and I had a lot of fun recording the show, as you will probably notice, and I tried to share as much practical advice about legal technology as I could fit into the show. We started with the question “What technology is the best fit for your f ..read more

#Collaboration is the hottest topic in #legaltech today! We all must find smart ways to work together. And, just in time, Tom Mighell and I are pleased to announce the publication of the new edition of our classic book on collaboration tools and technologies: The Lawyer’s Guide to Collaboration Tools and Technologies, Work from Home Edition. This book is a must-have, especially for law firm and law department technology committees, law firm managing partners and CIOs, general counsel, heads of legal operations, and law libraries. If you are a forward-looking legal professional concerned about ..read more

It seemed like a good time to share a batch of recent episodes of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast. The spring semester is over, grades are in, I’m focusing on Legal Innovation as a Service for the summer, and I’m enjoying the summertime. And summertime is the perfect time to get caught up on podcast listening. Here’s a list of what Tom and I have been discussing on the show over the past few months. Lots of good stuff. We invite you to jump in and listen. Even better, subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast app so you don’t miss any episodes. We have some cool topics on the upcomi ..read more

I was asked a while back to answer some questions for an article about venture capital in the legal industry. It now appears that the article might not happen. As part of my #BlogFirst initiative, I’m posting my unedited and unupdated answers here for your reading pleasure and, maybe, to learn how others would answer these questions. 1. Which entities in the legal industry are the biggest winners of venture capital funding? In the very short term, the biggest winners are the founders and employees of legal tech companies. In the three-to-five-year term, the winners will be venture capital fund ..read more

The annual list of Women in Legal Technology from the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center is a big deal. There are now well over a hundred women on the cumulative list. It’s a fantastic resource to find women speakers on legal technology, for consulting, and more. We are rapidly approaching the February 15 deadline for nominations for the 2022 additions to the list. I’ve made my nominations. Have you? You will want to go to the nominations page and submit your favorite nominees before the 15th. The Women of Legal Technology Summit will be held at the ABA Law Practice Division Spring Meeting i ..read more

Tom Mighell and I, with help from Debbie Foster, continued our annual tradition of looking backward and forward at #legaltech at the end/beginning of each year on our podcast. Of course, we do that in our own way. Here are the two episodes of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast: Pardon the Interruption: 2021 Edition Dennis & Tom’s 2022 Tech Resolutions In the first episode, as the description says, “Debbie Foster joins Dennis and Tom once again for their yearly “Pardon the Interruption”-esque recap. The trio examine oodles of issues and advancements (or lack thereof) in both legal tech an ..read more

Part of my #blogfirst project. We have moved from a world where the big fish eat the little fish, says Tom Peters, the famous management consulting guru, to a world where the “fast fish eat the slow fish.” I’ve noticed lately that many of the most innovative developments in legal technology have come from smaller firms and solo practitioners. Small firms and solos have developed some of the most successful legal website, pioneered the use of legal applications, and taken the lead in productizing legal services with technology. They have become the fast fish. While small firms and solos ca ..read more

For many years, modern portfolio theory and its adaptation to technology and innovation in law has been one of my recurring big themes. As in your financial portfolio, risk and reward must be assessed and your tech and innovation efforts must be seen as a portfolio to increase your chances of good longterm returns. You want to do do things in connection with your portfolio: Diversity it Align it with your risk tolerance As I like to say, the concepts are easy. There’s a whole chapter in my book, Successful Innovation Outcomes in Law: A Practical Guide for Law Firms, Law Departments and Other ..read more

The new episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report podcast is called, appropriately enough, “Does it Take 10,000 Hours to Become a Legal Tech Expert?” and is now available. In the episode, Tom Mighell and I take a look at what it takes to become a legal technology expert these days and whether it is even possible to be a general legal tech expert anymore (if it ever was). From the description: Are there good ways to develop your legal technology expertise in a hurry? Well, Dennis and Tom’s short answer is no, but don’t let that get you down! Tune in for their tips and resources for building your k ..read more