Want to be a Crypto Lawyer? Rule # 1: Use the Technology. Rule #2: Beware of Hyper-Specialization (Justin Wales-Head of Legal, Crypto.com & Author of Crypto Legal Handbook)
Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast
Release Date: 10/09/2025
How Plaintiffs Lawyers Can Unlock Law Firm Leverage With AI & Automation ( Jay Madheswaran - CEO Eve)
Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast
In this episode of Technically Legal, , CEO of , discusses his career path from the early days of Facebook to becoming a VC and investing in artificial intelligence. His stint as a VC eventually led to the creation of the legal technology platform Eve. The episode explores how Eve utilizes artificial intelligence to assist plaintiffs attorneys with tasks such as case management, drafting demand letters, and processing client intakes. Jay explains how software automation can optimize client outcomes by accelerating routine legal workflows which benefits the contingency-based economic model of...
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Best of TL: Legal’s Moment to Move Beyond AI Experimentation (Sabastian Niles, President & CLO Salesforce)
Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast
We welcome back , to discuss his recent "." As the legal industry hits a critical inflection point, Sabastian argues that the era of "AI theater" and small-scale pilots is over. The conversation dives deep into the Innovator’s Dilemma facing law firms, the shift toward agentic AI, and how firms must reimagine their business models to remain competitive. Sabastian highlights that legal professionals are uniquely positioned to lead the charge in trusted AI transformation, provided they embrace transparency, data integration, and shared efficiency gains with their clients....
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On AI Evals, TAR vs. LLMs and What Will be Different Next Year - Aron Ahmadia (VP Applied Science, Relativity)
Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast
In advance of this year’s in Chicago, , joins the podcast to discuss AI evaluation, AI benchmarking and the transition from traditional Technology Assisted Review (TAR) to generative AI in legal document review and eDiscovery. The conversation covers the daily operations of a global AI team, the concept of "evaluation as a product," and the methodology behind testing large language models (LLMs) for legal tasks. Aron also discusses a recent study that compared the accuracy and efficiency of TAR and human document review against Relativity's generative AI tool, aiR for Review. Aron talks...
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Moving Beyond the Billable Hour: Pricing Legal Work in the AI Age (Emily Logan Stedman - Husch Blackwell)
Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast
, commercial litigator at Husch Blackwell, discusses moving beyond the billable hour not just to modernize legal billing but to also prioritize lawyer well-being. The conversation explores the practical steps required to transition traditional litigation models toward Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs). Emily details her methodical approach to utilizing secure legal AI tools to analyze historical time entries, allowing her to offer phased flat fees, strategic counsel subscriptions, and predictable contract review pricing. The discussion also covers strategies for maintaining mental health in...
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AI Regulation: Where it is and Where it Might (or Should) Go (Justin Wales CLO @ Crypto.com & Author of AI Legal Handbook)
Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast
In this episode, makes a second visit to the podcast. This time around, he discusses his new book, The AI Legal Handbook, the emerging regulatory landscape, liability frameworks, and practical applications of artificial intelligence. Justin outlines how attorneys and regulators should approach modern AI models, the mechanics behind AI, and the effect of generative AI on legal education. The discussion covers key regulatory principles, the balance between strict liability and negligence frameworks, copyright issues in machine learning training, and the governance challenges of artificial...
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From Managing Partner to Intel CLO: Career Lessons and Thoughts on Modern Legal Practice (April Miller Boise)
Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast
In this episode April Miller Boise, with stints as Chief Legal Officer at Intel and managing partner at Thompson Hine, shares insights from her career. The conversation explores the shifting dynamics between corporate legal departments and outside counsel and the necessity of embracing legal technology. April also provides advice for junior lawyers on developing long-term expertise and trusted relationships in an AI-driven environment. Things we Talk About in this Episode Career progression: From Wall Street M&A partner and law firm managing partner to Chief Legal Officer. The...
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When Machines Have the Answers, Build Better Humans With AI Augmentation Not Automation (Vivienne Ming, Scientist, Professor, Author)
Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast
In this episode, discusses her new book, . The conversation examines the intersection of artificial intelligence and knowledge work, exploring how professionals can adapt to an increasingly automated economy. The discussion contrasts the limitations of basic AI task automation with the advantages of human-AI collaboration—the "cyborg" model—for solving complex, ill-posed problems. Ming highlights her research on forecasting market outcomes, the critical role of endogenous motivation, and how the legal industry and other elite professions must rethink entry-level training. Key Topics...
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Inside Microsoft Legal: A Look at AI Use Built for Scale (Rebecca Anderson - Head of Legal EMEA Microsoft)
Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast
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Cost, Speed and Quality - One Law Firm’s Quest to Deliver All Three (Laurence Brown, Partner EIP and Head of Visser AI)
Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast
In this episode of Technically Legal, veteran patent lawyer Laurence Brown and Partner at the UK-based intellectual property firm EIP discusses the evolving concept of the "AI-native" law firm and how EIP is actively navigating this transition through their hybrid intelligence service, Visser AI. Laurence shares insights from his 25-year career, discussing how EIP uniquely integrates litigators and patent attorneys to provide comprehensive IP services. The core of the conversation centers on , named after the renowned European patent attorney Derk Visser, which leverages specialist...
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Affordable & Accessible: The Democratization of Legal Tech (Tyler Foreman VP of AI - Rocket Lawyer)
Technically Legal - A Legal Technology and Innovation Podcast
at , joins the show to discuss the intersection of artificial intelligence and the legal industry. Foreman shares his untraditional legal tech career path, spanning engineering at Intel, drone data analytics, and ultimately making the move to legal via contract lifecycle management (CLM) at DocuSign, before diving into his current work at Rocket Lawyer helping to provide legal resources for small-to-medium businesses and individuals. The conversation focuses on how modern generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) act as a legal operating system to simplify contract reviews, document...
info_outlineJustin Wales, Head of Legal for the Americas at Crypto.com, and author of The Crypto Legal Handbook visits the show to provide his unique perspective on pivoting from a career in Constitutional Law, including work on high-profile appellate cases like the Obergefell gay marriage decision, to becoming a trailblazer in crypto law and blockchain technology.
He shares his serendipitous journey stemming from a law school article that launched his legal career and his subsequent deep dive into crypto, sparked by WikiLeaks accepting Bitcoin donations.
The discussion covers the evolution of his practice to one of the first successful crypto legal groups at a large law firm. Justin emphasizes the necessity for any lawyer in the space to use the technology and become a generalist to navigate the multi-jurisdictional and rapidly evolving industry.
Finally, the conversation touches on the critical distinction between centralized finance (CeFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi), and his outlook that crypto's infrastructure will ultimately serve as the underpinning for future advancements like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Episode Highlights:
* Justin's start in Constitutional Law, beginning with a law school paper on unconscionable cruise ship employment contracts that led to Supreme Court brief writing.
* The shift to crypto law: WikiLeaks and Bitcoin's role in it introduced Justin to blockchain technology.
* Building a pioneering crypto legal practice at a large firm in the early days (2013-2015).
* Why the best in-house lawyers, especially in a cutting-edge field like crypto, need to be generalists, not hyper-specialized.
* The inspiration and philosophy behind writing The Crypto Legal Handbook—creating an affordable, regularly updated, and candid resource for students and practitioners.
* Advice for aspiring crypto lawyers today: the field is more mature and requires blending traditional financial regulatory expertise with an industry-wide approach.
* The fundamental distinction between Centralized Finance (CeFi) and the legally complex, more innovative world of Decentralized Finance (DeFi).
* Rule #1 for Crypto Lawyers: Why you must use the technology and the risks of lawyers who are frozen in time with their technical understanding.
* High-level overview of US policy efforts to regulate crypto, including the GENIUS Act (Stablecoins) and the Clarity Act (Securities vs. Commodities regulation).
* Justin's crystal ball: The long-term view that crypto infrastructure will eventually become an unseen layer beneath the rise of AI agents and IoT.
Things We Talk About in this Episode
* Book: The Crypto Legal Handbook by Justin Wales
* Book: Read Write Own by Chris Dixon
* JustinWales.com (for more information on the book and author)