AI Can Automate the Work, But It Still Can't Decide Where You're Going

Live from ILTACON | Sponsored by Steno AI is everywhere in legal. But the biggest change over the last year isn't simply better answers from AI. It's the ability to begin automating the work itself. Live from ILTACON, David Cowen sits down with Chris Emerson, Chief Legal Operations & Innovation Officer, to explore what AI is actually changing inside legal teams, what still hasn't changed, and where the biggest opportunities are emerging. From the growing war for Legal AI talent to turning knowledge trapped inside lawyers' heads into AI-ready workflows, Chris offers a practical look at where legal is heading next, including how his team built an AI-assisted pre-bill review capability in just 33 days. In this episode: Why AI is moving from assistance to actual workflow automation Why adoption remains one of legal's biggest challenges The four traits tomorrow's legal talent needs: curiosity, adaptability, resourcefulness and grit Why leaders should be investing in their top 20% Why the next AI opportunity is getting knowledge out of people's heads and into workflows How AI is shrinking development cycles from months to weeks What leaders should never delegate to AI: strategy, direction and guardrails Chapters 00:10 | AI Everywhere: What Changed in the Last 12 Months? 01:40 | Why Legal's Adoption Problem Hasn't Changed 02:59 | What Leaders Should Look for in Legal AI Talent 04:05 | Curiosity, Resourcefulness, Adaptability & Grit 05:28 | Why Leaders Need to Invest in Their Top 20% 08:30 | Grit, Failure & Why Lawyers Need Rapid Prototypes 10:36 | What Legal AI Still Needs in 2027 12:07 | Where AI Will Create the Next Career Opportunities 13:13 | Turning Legal Knowledge Into AI Playbooks 14:00 | Building AI-Assisted Pre-Bill Review in 33 Days 14:56 | Building an Internal AI Platform Around Firm Data 15:37 | What Should Humans Keep as AI Automates the Work? The Closing Thought "AI is not aware of where we are culturally on the journey." As AI gets better at doing the work, the responsibility for strategy, direction, guardrails and judgment remains human. Follow SOLID for more conversations with the leaders shaping what comes next in legal. https://solid.legal/ 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Share this episode and take your career from now to next! Never eat alone!