The Future of AI + LegalTech @ SF Tech Week
As cloud computing and AI expert David Linthicum recently wrote, “AI is often described as a transformative technology, but transformation is anything but easy.”
That’s why, as AI transforms the legal sector, it was imperative to convene a panel during SF Tech Week composed of legal industry leaders who’ve made AI work – Okta’s Russell Philpott, Alight’s Martin Felli, Arc’s Rajiv Batra, and Salesforce’s Léo Murgel.
I was delighted to moderate, and our conversation couldn’t have been more timely, addressing the urgent questions that AI transformation is raising about implementation, change management, governance and ROI.
For this edition of Venture Legal, I wanted to dive deeper into important takeaways from our dynamic panel discussion.
This week’s feature story is a must-read for everyone buying, building, investing in or implementing AI LegalTech products, covering key learnings, including:
🔑 An in-depth look at the top-down/bottom-up pressures to move fast with AI implementation.
🔑 The on-the-court feedback from teams, including engaging with naysayers and the desire among employees for AI to allow them to focus on more “joyful creative work.”
🔑 Actionable strategies for successful vendor selection and implementation.
🔑 Why legal should lead, but not own, AI policy and governance.
🔑 The role of AI “power users” in leading change mangament.
🔑 How legal leaders can leverage data to make the case for ROI, and more!
➕ A great podcast interview with The Abstract’s delightful host Tyler Finn.
Follow me on Substack and subscribe to read the featured story!
Venture Legal, Ed. 17, The Future of AI + LegalTech @ SF Tech Week
-
AI Security, Data Integrity, and Governance for Legal Teams and Departments
According to the newly released 2026 Data Threat Report, conducted by S&P Global’s 451 Research and commissioned by Thales, there’s a “troubling disconnect between rapid AI adoption and foundational data control.” Reporting on the findings, Fortune wrote, “For businesses to innovate securely…, they must fundamentally rethink identity, encryption, and data visibility as the core foundation…
-
Exploring the Consumer LegalTech Landscape
“AI promises to make work more productive for lawyers, but there’s a problem: Their clients are using it, too,” Axios wrote last week. All eyes last week were on the impact that Anthropic’s legal-specific tool would have on enterprise LegalTech. Meanwhile, consumers are also looking to foundation model AI to address legal questions and needs.…
-
Record Highs, Record Lows: Tracking the Shifting VC Landscape
For venture capital, 2025 was remarkable for highs and lows. Among the highs: Two of the three biggest quarters ever for venture funding took place last year. And, the lows: Overall, firms closed a record-low number of funds. This dichotomy inspires this edition of Venture Legal, exploring some of the ways in which the VC…