ABA Journal: Legal Rebels

Recent Episodes

1. How AI is changing the way plaintiffs law firms work

   Sep 16, 2026

   Jay Modeshwarn, CEO and co-founder of Eve, discusses how generative AI and agentic AI are transforming plaintiffs law firms. Eve is an AI platform and operating system designed to streamline case intake, document review, discovery, drafting, and trial preparation. Modeshwarn explains how AI-powered automation enables firms to take on more cases, improve settlement outcomes, and extend legal services to underrepresented populations while emphasizing that human legal judgment remains essential.

2. Are AI-native law firms the wave of the future?

   Aug 12, 2026

   Ryan Walker, CEO and co-founder of General Legal, an AI-native law firm, discusses how his company is fundamentally rethinking legal service delivery by embedding AI throughout the entire workflow rather than retrofitting it into traditional practice. Walker, a mathematician and former CTO of Casetext, explains General Legal's management services organization structure, flat-rate pricing model, and integration into clients' existing workflows, delivering contract work in 3-4 hours at roughly a quarter of traditional big law costs. The conversation explores the implications for legal practice, including the potential decline of billable hours, consolidation among AI-native firms, and both risks and opportunities for junior lawyers entering the profession.

3. Why some states are introducing pathway to bar that doesn't include bar exam

   Jul 8, 2026

   Deborah Jones Merritt, Professor Emerita at Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law, discusses the growing movement toward alternative pathways to bar admission that bypass the traditional bar exam. Merritt, co-principal investigator of the landmark 2020 'Building a Better Bar' report, explores how states including New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, Arizona, and Nevada are developing skills-based licensing programs designed to produce practice-ready lawyers while addressing access-to-justice challenges. The conversation examines the advantages and portability concerns of these pathways and their potential to reshape legal education and licensing.

4. What is vibe coding, and how could it help lawyers?

   Jun 17, 2026

   Jamie Cho, founder of Legal Quants, discusses vibe coding—the practice of using AI tools to generate software through verbal prompts rather than manual coding. A former senior associate at Clifford Chance, Cho explains how lawyers can leverage vibe coding to build custom productivity tools like contract evaluation, redlining, and document generation applications. The conversation covers practical applications, IP concerns, data protection considerations, and Cho's vision for AI-native legal practices.

5. How AI has supercharged dispute resolution and arbitration

   May 13, 2026

   Colin Rule, President and CEO of ODR.com (a subsidiary of the American Arbitration Association), discusses how artificial intelligence and online dispute resolution technology are transforming arbitration and civil litigation. Drawing from his experience building dispute resolution systems at eBay and PayPal and co-founding Modria, Rule explores AI's role in automating case evaluation, streamlining arbitration, and enabling courts to resolve disputes more efficiently. The conversation covers the evolution from traditional litigation to ODR, the potential for algorithmic decision-making in courts, and the ethical frameworks needed to govern these emerging technologies.

6. Quantum Leap? Development of new tech gives lawyers plenty to think about

   Apr 8, 2026

   Paul Steimers, co-lead of the federal government affairs practice at Holland & Knight, discusses quantum computing technology and its emerging legal implications. The conversation covers quantum computing fundamentals, its potential to break current encryption standards, applications in optimization and drug discovery, and the resulting legal challenges in cybersecurity, intellectual property, federal contracting, and AI integration. Steimers emphasizes that while quantum computers are still in early hardware stages, lawyers should begin understanding the technology now to advise clients in affected industries.

7. Techshow Attendees Assemble: A preview of this year's show

   Mar 11, 2026

   Brett Burney (founder of Burney Consultants, e-discovery specialist) and Patrick Wright (managing partner of The Right Firm, family law practice) preview the 41st annual ABA Tech Show, scheduled for March 25-28, 2026 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The co-chairs discuss the show's evolution, expected 2,100-2,500 attendees, thematic tracks organized around a comic book motif coinciding with C2E2, keynote speakers Jordan Furlong and Nilay Patel, and content spanning AI integration, cybersecurity, core technology skills, and practice management tools.

8. Generative AI is now capable of grading law school exams; what's next?

   Feb 18, 2026

   Daniel Schwartz, professor at University of Minnesota Law School, discusses generative AI's rapidly advancing capabilities in legal education and practice. The episode focuses on his recent research showing that AI can grade law school exams with 80-93% accuracy compared to human graders, and explores implications for legal pedagogy, student learning, and the legal profession. Schwartz shares empirical findings on AI's impact on lawyer productivity, addresses malpractice insurance concerns, and outlines his vision for integrating AI into law school curricula.

9. What's on tap for 2026 when it comes to generative AI?

   Jan 14, 2026

   Oliver Roberts, co-director of the AI Collaborative at Washington University School of Law, returns to discuss AI predictions for 2026. Topics include continued generative AI adoption in legal practice, judicial experimentation with AI tools, the rise of agentic AI, federal regulatory preemption versus state-level regulation, and AI education gaps in law schools.

10. 2025 Year in Review: Generative AI, access to justice and law schools

    Dec 10, 2025

    Nikki Black, Principal Legal Insight Strategist at MyCase, discusses 2025's major trends in legal technology and practice, including widespread AI adoption (now over 50% of lawyers using generative AI within three years), billions in legal tech funding and acquisitions, and ongoing reforms to bar admissions and law school curricula. The conversation covers practical AI implementation for lawyers, the risks of over-tooling, agentic AI, the legal tech funding landscape, alternative business structures, and evolving bar exam requirements.