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Steve Embry
@sembrytechlaw.bsky.social
610 followers 440 following 210 posts
Lawyer. Writer. Futurist. Publisher TechLaw Crossroads blog. Former Chair Law Practice Division, American Bar Association. Regular contributor Above the Law
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 2d
I write about legal tech. I love GenAI. But I fear its making us lazy thinkers.
Every Sunday I try to go screenless. The more I stick to it, the sharper my work and the clearer my thinking.
Thanks Cat Moon, David Sparks and David Sax for encouraging analog.

www.techlawcrossroads.com/2025/10/goin...
Going Analog: Is It Just for Luddites? | TechLaw Crossroads
The world of GenAI: get an answer to anything and everything within seconds. No thinking required: just prompt and go. I’m all about technology and the
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 4d
I called EvenUp "a pretty cool idea" in 2023. Now they're worth $2 billion.
Their secret? Getting PI lawyers to share settlement data. Revolutionary.

abovethelaw.com/2025/10/from...
From Startup To $2 Billion: EvenUp Is Transforming Personal Injury Practice - Above the Law
AI for plaintiffs' lawyers has perhaps reached a tipping point and is now an important market.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 6d
AI will never replace litigators older lawyers tell me. “You need empathy, gut instinct, human judgment.”
Sure. But what if the judge is AI?
AAA shows where we may be headed.
abovethelaw.com/2025/10/the-...
The AI Arbitrator Is Here: What’s Next? - Above the Law
AI dispute resolution may hold promise in litigation, but like all things AI, it will need guardrails.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 6d
158-year-old company just went under because an employee’s password was probably ‘1-2-3-4.’
Their cyber insurance? Didn’t cover enough.
Why many law firms could be making the same mistake—and why ‘we got insurance, right?’ is the wrong question to ask.

abovethelaw.com/2025/10/cybe...
Cyber, Slider. We Got Insurance, Right?  - Above the Law
Law firms and lawyers just aren’t as security conscious as they need to be.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 9d
158-year-old company just went under because an employee’s password was probably ‘1-2-3-4.’
Their cyber insurance? Didn’t cover enough.
Why many law firms could be making the same mistake—and why ‘we got insurance, right?’ is the wrong question to ask.

abovethelaw.com/2025/10/cybe...
Cyber, Slider. We Got Insurance, Right?  - Above the Law
Law firms and lawyers just aren’t as security conscious as they need to be.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 11d
LEX Summit takeaway: Filevine is doing interesting work on AI. The products are solid. But a little too much bro atmosphere.
At least there was no woman in a champagne glass this year kike some other legal tech conferences I’ve been to of late.

abovethelaw.com/2025/10/lex-...
LEX Summit: An Almost Perfect Conference - Above the Law
Overall, the conference was really good, with a lot of excitement and major announcements.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 11d
Lessons for trying cases from Alex Shipro keynote at LEX Summit: Be unpredictable. Don't try cases by the book. Think for yourself about what the case is really all about.

www.techlawcrossroads.com/2025/10/want...
Want to be a Good Trial Lawyer? Be Unpredictable. Look out the Window. Turn Off ChatGPT | TechLaw Crossroads
The next to last Keynote at Filevine’s LEX Summit was a big one. It featured an interview of the renowned lawyer Alex Spiro by Ryan Anderson, CEO of
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 12d
Lessons for trying cases from Alex Shipro keynote at LEX Summit: Be unpredictable. Don't try cases by the book. Think for yourself about what the case is really all about.

www.techlawcrossroads.com/2025/10/want...
Want to be a Good Trial Lawyer? Be Unpredictable. Look out the Window. Turn Off ChatGPT | TechLaw Crossroads
The next to last Keynote at Filevine’s LEX Summit was a big one. It featured an interview of the renowned lawyer Alex Spiro by Ryan Anderson, CEO of
www.techlawcrossroads.com
sembrytechlaw.bsky.social
Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 13d
Filevine’s announcements this week include deposition updates to its deposition tool and a new legal research tool.

abovethelaw.com/2025/10/file...
Filevine Takes On Legal Research Giants And Enhances Its Deposition Tools - Above the Law
Lawyers and law firms should be very excited about these announcements,
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 18d
Legal tech company bought a whole law firm. Not partnered with. Not invested in. Bought outright.
This feels like the moment Jordan Furlong's predictions about AI-driven legal services stop being theoretical and start being inevitable.

abovethelaw.com/2025/09/the-...
The Lawhive Acquisition: The Shape Of Things To Come - Above the Law
This acquisition may be the first domino to fall in a much larger transformation.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 19d
BigHand survey confirms many law firms still don't get it when it comes to basic business practices.
Clients want budgets and transparency. Firms that do budgets get 70% better realizations. Yet most firms don’t do a good job at eithe.

abovethelaw.com/2025/09/bigh...
BigHand’s Pricing And Budgeting Survey: A Wake-Up Call And An Opportunity - Above the Law
Every client wants budgets and financial transparency, but few lawyers want to do it.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 22d
The difference between forgettable and memorable writing often comes down to a single word choice. Don’t let AI make those choices for you.

abovethelaw.com/2025/09/dear...
Dear ChatGPT: Words Matter - Above the Law
Don’t let LLMs hijack your style for the sake of expediency.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 26d
Associates buying their own tech because firm equipment is too slow. Partners skeptical of AI while associates worry it’ll replace them. Classic law firm communication breakdown. Breaking down the latest survey data on what’s really going wrong.

abovethelaw.com/2025/09/asso...
Associates’ Dissatisfaction With Firm Tech: What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate - Above the Law
It’s a sad state of affairs when firms are making millions in profits and partners are taking home so much money, but they can’t spring for better technology for associates to get their work done.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 29d
Churchill called Russia “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Figuring out how to train lawyers in the age of AI feels kind of similar.

abovethelaw.com/2025/09/trai...
Training Young Lawyers In The Age Of AI: A Riddle Wrapped In A Mystery Inside An Enigma - Above the Law
Firms need to work harder on mentorship programs. Lawyers need more hands-on training that can’t be done exclusively with AI.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · 29d
Law firms make 43% of work assignments based on personal preference, and often have no real data on associate capacity. Yet they wonder why talented people keep leaving. Maybe try using actual data?

abovethelaw.com/2025/09/data...
Data-Driven Law Firm Resource Allocation: An Idea Whose Time Has Come - Above the Law
Even though data-driven resource allocation reduces attrition, reduces cost, and may lead to better partners, firms are slow to embrace it.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · Sep 10
Part 2 of my travel tips: more specific stuff learned from years of conference travel and business trips.
Bathroom timing, hotel tips, and why ChatGPT is surprisingly good at finding local restaurants, among others.

www.techlawcrossroads.com/2025/09/my-s...
My Second Top Ten Travel Tips | TechLaw Crossroads
A few days ago, I published ten hints to help enjoy the experience of travel while avoiding the risk of hassles. As promised then, here are ten more.
www.techlawcrossroads.com
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · Sep 10
85% of law firms think cloud providers back up their data.
Microsoft’s actual policy: You’re responsible for protecting the security of your data. The cloud is just someone else’s computer, and they’ve been pretty clear about who’s responsible when it breaks.

abovethelaw.com/2025/09/law-...
Law Firms And The Cloud: Is Your Data As Safe As You Think? - Above the Law
The cloud isn't magic. It's just someone else's computer.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · Sep 8
Taking a brief detour from legal tech coverage to share some hard earned travel tips on my blog. Years of business travel have taught me a few things about avoiding travel chaos and actually enjoying travel.
10 tips up now, 10 more coming.

www.techlawcrossroads.com/2025/09/some...
Some Travel Tips You May Know by Heart and Some You Don’t | TechLaw Crossroads
“I travel light. I think the most important thing is to be in a good mood and enjoy life, wherever you are.” Diane Von Furstenberg When I was headed
www.techlawcrossroads.com
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · Sep 8
NetDocuments recently launched a Judge Analytics App that mines your firm’s files to create profiles of judges, their tendencies, ruling patterns, and preferences. Good practical intel.

abovethelaw.com/2025/09/netd...
NetDocuments Judge Analytics App: Mining For Gold - Above the Law
This new AI tool searches your firm's database to extract information about judges your lawyers have appeared before, pulling out useful intelligence.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · Sep 6
NetDocuments recently launched a Judge Analytics App that mines your firm’s files to create profiles of judges, their tendencies, ruling patterns, and preferences. Good practical intel.

abovethelaw.com/2025/09/netd...
NetDocuments Judge Analytics App: Mining For Gold - Above the Law
This new AI tool searches your firm's database to extract information about judges your lawyers have appeared before, pulling out useful intelligence.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · Sep 4
The 8am Keynote from CPO Leslie Witt: product integration and some new tools including Chat with Cases AI feature that can respond to natural language inquires.

abovethelaw.com/2025/09/8am-...
8am And Kaleidoscope Revealed Along With Some New Stuff: The Witt Keynote - Above the Law
The theme that every day is a brand new day permeates the entire conference. And 8am’s mission statement carries this idea forward.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · Sep 2
The new Kaleidoscope conference from 8am kicks off this week in Austin, Texas: 30-45 minute panels, expert panelists, hard questions about things likeAI and billing models among other topics. Great format!

abovethelaw.com/2025/09/kale...
Kaleidoscope 2025: Short Sessions, Expert Panelists, And Lots To Talk About - Above the Law
Not many companies would simultaneously try to pull off a first-ever, state-of-the-art legal tech conference and a rebranding at the same time.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · Aug 30
96% of lawyers use AI, 71% without approval, mainly due to pressure to work faster.
Combined with 2400-hour billing quotas and clients who won't pay for cite checking, you get predictable corner-cutting.

www.techlawcrossroads.com/2025/08/bill...
Billable Hour Demands, Shadow Use of AI and Law Reality: It’s a Hot Mess  | TechLaw Crossroads
A recent survey by DeepL, an AI translation service, reveals a risk of continued hallucinations and inaccuracies with the use of AI. Spoiler alert: 96% of
www.techlawcrossroads.com
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · Aug 29
The AI that may threaten traditional legal training might actually become the best mentor young lawyers ever had. Part 2 of my series on AI's impact on legal practice based on Ethan Mollick’s recent book.

abovethelaw.com/2025/08/insi...
Insights On AI And Its Impact On Legal, Part Two - Above the Law
What legal professionals need to know about the new technology everyone is talking about.
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Steve Embry @sembrytechlaw.bsky.social · Aug 28
The best lawyers have always commanded premium rates because of superior skills. But what happens when AI closes that skill gap?

abovethelaw.com/2025/08/insi...
Insights On AI And Its Impact On Legal, Part One - Above the Law
AI will have lasting impact on the legal profession.
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