The Future of AI + LegalTech @ SF Tech Week

October 22, 2025 / Monica Zent
Venture Legal 17

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

  • LegalTech, Venture Capital & AI for Good

    By Monica Zent | November 20, 2025

    Startling statistics from the Legal Services Corporation reveal the degree to which low-income Americans report not having received any or enough legal assistance for civil legal problems.  Specifically: Could AI-powered LegalTech innovation help address such needs? While the vast majority of VC funding and startup activity in LegalTech is focused on the enterprise sector, for…

  • Alternative Legal Services Providers (ALSPs): A Look Back, and What’s Ahead

    By Monica Zent | November 16, 2025

    Professional services, including legal, stand at an AI inflection point, with rapid changes ongoing and even greater transformations on the horizon ahead – and sometimes, in order to look forward, it helps to first also take a look back. For this edition of Venture Legal, I wanted to look back at the evolution of a…

  • The Future of AI + LegalTech @ SF Tech Week

    By Monica Zent | October 22, 2025

    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…