Legal Industry Discussions
Death of the Billable Hour: Legals $900B AI Repricing
Substack: August 2025
This article stands apart from the many surface-level critiques of the billable hour by grounding its argument in hard economics and explicit modeling of what AI-driven disruption will actually look like inside large law firms. Rather than speculating about cultural change, the author quantifies how much BigLaw revenue is tied to repeatable, rules-based work and shows how AI compression of that work creates an immediate, unavoidable math problem for firms built on time-based pricing and associate leverage. The piece goes further by outlining why legacy partnership economics make meaningful adaptation so difficult—and why true disruption is more likely to come from AI-native law firms operating on software economics, not incremental AI adoption within existing firms. For our team, this has been one of the most impactful and widely discussed articles of the year: prescient, provocative, and unusually clear-eyed about what the next phase of legal competition may actually look like.
Law School Runs Mock Trial Before Jury Of AI Chatbots As Dystopian Nightmare Accelerates
Above the Law: October 2025
Drawing on a University of North Carolina law school exercise that put chatbots in the jury box, this article explores how algorithmic decision-making risks amplifying bias, obscuring judgment, and mistakes computational efficiency for justice. The piece offers a timely reminder that while AI may have a role in supporting legal processes, it is not yet—and may never be—a substitute for human judgment in the administration of justice.
Baker McKenzie Builds on AI Foundation, Crafting Tools to Help Lawyers Work ‘Better, Smarter’
Law.com December, 2024 (subscription required)
Summary: Like other law firms, Baker McKenzie has been harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to improve processes, streamline work and enhance opportunities over the past handful of years, and the global firm is excited about the future of AI and its various applications as 2025 approaches.
The firm formally launched its AI program around 2017, with cloud migration—the process of moving data, applications and infrastructure to the cloud—serving as the initial spark, according to Ben Allgrove, chief innovation officer and a partner in the intellectual property, data and technology group. Since then, the firm has built its own machine learning practice and is now diving into the second phase of its AI journey, building an expanded team focused on generative AI.
“One of the narratives, the false narratives in the market, is that law firms don’t use AI,” Allgrove said. “That’s just not true.”
Generative AI Prompting for Lawyers
Reuters, Practical Law, August 2024
Summary: Counsel using generative AI (GenAI) based on large language models (LLMs) should learn best practices for effective prompting to help streamline legal tasks and processes and mitigate the potential risks associated with the use of GenAI tools.
Minnesota State Bar Takes Big Step Toward Launching Gen AI Regulatory Sandbox
Law.com, August, 2024 (subscription required)
Summary: Those leading the effort, which could also propose changes to the state’s unauthorized practice of law regulation, are optimistic Minnesota can become the second U.S. state to launch a regulatory sandbox.
Big Law Firms, Seeking ‘Seat at the Table,’ Join AI Safety Consortium
Legal Tech News, June, 2024
Summary: Several large firms are participating in a data sharing space for AI stakeholders in hopes of turning guidelines “into real guardrails” for clients.
As a government-backed initiative, AISIC is housed under the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The consortium calls upon experts from the member groups to develop standards surrounding AI policy and safety. The consortium is also tasked with analyzing the capabilities and risks of next-generation AI systems.
Since the U.S. Commerce Department announced the consortium’s founding in February, more than 200 members have joined from various industries.
From Our Award-Winning Podcast, On Record PR
5 PR Trends Law Firm Leaders Must Navigate in 2026
Season 6: Episode 203, December 2025
Summary: Gina Rubel and Jennifer Simpson Carr break down PR Daily’s top five trends for 2026 and translate them into practical implications for the legal industry. They explore how narrative intelligence, GEO, AI monitoring, video, and data governance intersect with crisis preparedness, business development, talent recruitment, and long-term reputation management.
How AI Is Rewriting Media Relations: What Law Firms Must Know About Media, Credibility & Visibility
Season 6: Episode 201, November 2025
Summary: Director of Media Relations Becky Bergman joins Jennifer Simpson Carr to discuss how PR and media strategy are evolving in the era of AI. From newsroom changes to AI-driven research, they explore what law firms must do to strengthen visibility, credibility, and discoverability. Becky shares actionable steps firms can take this week to future-proof their media strategy.
Inside LMA’s TWxSW Conference: GEO, AI, Silos, and the Rule of Law
Season 6: Episode 200, November 2025
Summary: To mark episode 200, host Jennifer Simpson Carr is joined by teammates Kim Miller, Mahalet Ropar, and Kyla Thompson to discuss top takeaways from LMA’s 2025 TWxSW Conference. They explore GEO and gated content, breaking down silos, responsible AI adoption, evolving pricing models, and a powerful fireside chat on the rule of law.
Emotion, Trust, and AI: Your Law Firm’s Digital Footprint
Season 6: Episode 198, October 2025
Summary: From the reality that 95% of decisions are driven by emotion to the rise of nano-influencers and ethical AI, Gina Rubel and Jennifer Simpson Carr give law firm leaders practical steps to build credibility, manage risk, and convert digital trust into business outcomes.
Relationships at the Speed of AI
Season 6: Episode 197, October 2025
Summary: Fresh off the Women, Influence & Power in Law Conference, hosts Gina Rubel and Jennifer Simpson Carr discuss a core theme reshaping the profession: in an AI-accelerated world, relationships are the differentiator. From client trust and judgment to reverse mentorship and “clear is kind” communication, they share a practical framework and rituals leaders can use to retain clients and talent.
How Google Knowledge Panels Build Trust in the Age of AI
Season 6: Episode 194, September 2025
Summary: Leslie Richards returns to demystify Google’s knowledge panels —what they are, why they matter, and how they intersect with GEO (generative engine optimization). They unpack how panels signal authority to both humans and AI, the realistic limits of “optimization,” and the practical steps attorneys can take now to build credibility before anyone clicks.
GEO vs. SEO: How AI-Driven Search Is Rewriting Law Firm Visibility
Season 6: Episode 193, September 2025
Summary: Leslie Richards joins Jennifer Simpson Carr to demystify GEO—generative engine optimization—and its impact on law firm marketing. From zero-click results to authority signals across the digital ecosystem, they unpack how AI summaries cite sources and what that means for traffic, reputation, and referrals.
AI Agents in Action: How Digital Colleagues Are Changing the Way We Work
Season 6: Episode 187, August 2025
Summary: Leslie Richards and Isabelle Horan break down AI agents—what they are, how they differ from other popular AI tools, and why they’re set to transform workflows across industries, including law. They also share practical ways professionals can prepare now to remain relevant and valuable in a rapidly changing landscape.
AI Just Changed Search Forever: Here’s What Law Firms Need to Know
Season 6: Episode 186, August 2025
Summary: Building on last week’s DigiMarCon 2025 recap, Leslie Richards and Isabelle Horan unpack the evolution from traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and what that means for law firms today.
How AI is Reshaping Digital Marketing and Law Firm Strategy
Season 6: Episode 185, July 2025
Summary: Leslie Richards and Isabelle Horan share key takeaways from the 2025 DigiMarCon Conference, including how law firms can move beyond basic content generation and instead use generative AI tools for advanced strategic applications.