The Kennedy-Mighell Report

Recent Episodes

1. Fresh Voices on Legal Tech with Julia Montgomery

   Jul 24, 2026

   Julia Montgomery, Director of Practice Enablement at King & Spalding, discusses her behavioral science-informed approach to technology adoption and change management in law firms. The episode explores how lawyers' unique psychological traits—skepticism, autonomy, and argumentation—require tailored communication strategies, particularly regarding AI tools. Montgomery shares King & Spalding's integrated change management model within the PMO and reflects on the cognitive load of AI supervision versus usage, the pace of vendor innovation, and career pathways for law students into non-traditional legal tech roles.

2. Fresh Voices on Legal Tech with Christian Puzder

   Jul 10, 2026

   Christian Puzder, CEO of Case Friend, discusses AI in legal practice with an emphasis on governance, accountability, and practical implementation. A lawyer and former Westlaw product developer, Puzder argues that AI's real problem isn't hallucinations but accountability, and advocates treating AI like an overachieving summer associate that requires human review. The episode covers Case Friend's AI-native case management system for workers' compensation and litigation, document processing workflows, and how small firms can make better legal tech decisions.

3. Legal Technology Literacy and Leadership

   Jun 26, 2026

   Dennis Kennedy discusses his Legal Technology Literacy and Leadership course taught at Michigan Law School, focusing on preparing law students for practice in an AI-embedded environment. The course emphasizes the concept of the "2026 associate" and teaches students to think strategically about technology adoption, client value, and their professional identity beyond software training. Kennedy and co-host Tom Mighell explore the course's simulation exercises, the innovative final paper assignment using AI-generated drafts with human refinement, and practical lessons for law firm leaders.

4. Fresh Voices on Legal Tech with Debbie Foster

   Jun 12, 2026

   Debbie Foster, CEO of Affinity Consulting and co-author of the forthcoming book 'Be a Next Level Leader,' discusses leadership and technology adoption in law firms. The episode explores how law firm leaders can communicate technology value to lawyers by focusing on outcomes rather than tools, examines the cascading impact of AI on business models and compensation structures, and argues that successful AI adoption is fundamentally a leadership problem, not a technology problem. Foster emphasizes the importance of collaboration, the four cornerstones of leadership (leading self, people, operations, and strategy), and the evolution from expert to architect roles.

5. The Expanding Minefield of Legal AI

   May 29, 2026

   Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell, co-hosts of the Kennedy Mighell Report, discuss the expanding risks of legal AI beyond hallucinations, including semantic flattening, drift, and overconfident AI marketing language. They examine how AI tools obscure important legal distinctions, gradually move away from user intent through long sessions, and how vendors use misleading terminology like 'legal OS' and 'context fabric.' The episode emphasizes the need for lawyer supervision, proper information governance, and skepticism toward AI vendor claims.

6. Fresh Voices on Legal Tech with Anastasia Boyko

   May 15, 2026

   Anastasia Boyko, a legal innovation consultant with experience across Big Law, legal tech, law firm operations, alternative legal services, and legal education, discusses her career path navigating the legal ecosystem and shares perspectives on generative AI adoption, lawyer competence with technology, the AI competence penalty affecting women in legal tech, and the critical importance of training, leadership development, and operational excellence as foundations for sustainable legal innovation.

7. “60 Tips” Rapid-Fire CLEs – Slow Death or New Potential?

   May 4, 2026

   Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell, hosts of the Kennedy Mighell Report, debate whether the traditional "60 Tips in 60 Minutes" CLE format remains effective in 2026. They discuss how AI proliferation, software version fragmentation across attendees, and the widening gap between power users and beginners challenge the format's utility, while also exploring its enduring value as a landscape map and source of inspiration for legal professionals.

8. Adventures in AI: Design, Detectives, & Drift with Dennis & Tom

   Apr 17, 2026

   Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss concrete AI projects they are currently working on rather than theoretical trends. Dennis focuses on managing AI drift in long sessions through protocols like the Trace Protocol and extracting high-value insights, while Tom explores practical applications like automating record retention linking, building detective-inspired analysis teams in Notebook LM, automating file cleanup with Claude, detecting AI-generated content, and creating a recipe management app. Both explore themes of trust, control, and extracting usable value from AI tools.

9. Fresh Voices on Legal Tech with Tom Martin

   Apr 3, 2026

   Tom Martin, CEO of Law Droid and adjunct law professor at Suffolk University Law School, discusses the current state of legal technology adoption and AI in the legal profession. The episode covers practical approaches to communicating about technology with lawyers, the baseline competencies lawyers need regarding AI, and how legal professionals can deploy AI systems of action to build competitive knowledge bases without waiting for perfect data infrastructure.

10. Fresh Voices on Legal Tech with Erika Pagano

    Mar 20, 2026

    Erika Pagano, Head of Legal Innovation and Design at Simmons and Simmons (Madrid), discusses her approach to communicating complex technology to lawyers, emphasizing human-centric design thinking over technology-first adoption. She addresses critical gaps in legal education and succession planning, examines emerging research on AI's paradoxical effects on lawyer productivity and mastery, and advocates for building innovation culture across entire organizations rather than siloed teams.