Steve Embry
@sembrytechlaw.bsky.social
Lawyer. Writer. Futurist. Publisher TechLaw Crossroads blog. Former Chair Law Practice Division, American Bar Association. Regular contributor Above the Law
The "AI will free lawyers for strategic work" narrative is industry gaslighting. A 12-minute podcast interview of Antti Innanen explains why. Someone needs to call out these feel-good fairy tales before law firms make terrible decisions based on them.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/chal...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/chal...
Challenging Truisms And Embracing A Cockroach Mentality - Above the Law
What will it mean to be a lawyer and legal professional in the future? What will our new value proposition be?
abovethelaw.com
December 31, 2025 at 3:06 PM
The "AI will free lawyers for strategic work" narrative is industry gaslighting. A 12-minute podcast interview of Antti Innanen explains why. Someone needs to call out these feel-good fairy tales before law firms make terrible decisions based on them.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/chal...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/chal...
Trial scenario: Opposing counsel shows a video that clearly hurts your client. But something feels off. What do you do? Deepfakes are about to upend courtrooms and no one is ready.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
The Deepfake Courtroom Problem: A Colorado Blue Ribbon Study Sheds Some Light And Offers A Start To Solutions - Above the Law
Deepfakes and evidence created or enhanced by AI are going to become increasingly prevalent. How can we successfully confront the problem?
abovethelaw.com
December 29, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Trial scenario: Opposing counsel shows a video that clearly hurts your client. But something feels off. What do you do? Deepfakes are about to upend courtrooms and no one is ready.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
The day ChatGPT went dark taught me something important about over-reliance on AI tools. When Cloudflare failed on Nov 18, it wasn't just an inconvenience, it exposed security gaps and reminded us why lawyers need backup plans.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
The Day That ChatGPT Died: Lessons For The Rest Of Us - Above the Law
We need to think before we become overly reliant on any technology but particularly GenAI.
abovethelaw.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:30 PM
The day ChatGPT went dark taught me something important about over-reliance on AI tools. When Cloudflare failed on Nov 18, it wasn't just an inconvenience, it exposed security gaps and reminded us why lawyers need backup plans.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
Thomson Reuters white paper drops an uncomfortable truth: AI is eroding lawyers’ critical thinking skills. As AI gets more capable, lawyers risk becoming less so. The future belongs to those who figure out how to keep their analytical edge.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/thom...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/thom...
Thomson Reuters White Paper: The Future Is Here - It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed - Above the Law
AI is eroding critical thinking skills at an alarming rate.
abovethelaw.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Thomson Reuters white paper drops an uncomfortable truth: AI is eroding lawyers’ critical thinking skills. As AI gets more capable, lawyers risk becoming less so. The future belongs to those who figure out how to keep their analytical edge.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/thom...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/thom...
What happens when legal tech companies stop selling tools to traditional law firms and start replacing them instead? We’re may be about to find out.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
The Future Of Legal Services: It May Not Be What We Think - Above the Law
The real challenge isn't recognizing that the traditional law firm model is changing. It's time to adapt.
abovethelaw.com
December 21, 2025 at 4:59 PM
What happens when legal tech companies stop selling tools to traditional law firms and start replacing them instead? We’re may be about to find out.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/the-...
Back from Summit AI with a question: when do we stop cheering and start tackling AI’s real challenges? Things like infrastructure gaps, verification costs, and workforce disruption
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/ai-s...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/ai-s...
AI Summit 2025: 10 Takeaways And Some Unanswered Questions - Above the Law
Right now, our relationship with AI is like one where hard issues are always put off. That never ends well.
abovethelaw.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Back from Summit AI with a question: when do we stop cheering and start tackling AI’s real challenges? Things like infrastructure gaps, verification costs, and workforce disruption
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/ai-s...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/ai-s...
At the AI Summit, watching yet another demo of AI email management, I kept thinking about The Emperor's New Clothes.
The clothes are beautiful! (PS: They don't exist). Sometimes lawyerly skepticism beats vendor enthusiasm.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/ai-e...
The clothes are beautiful! (PS: They don't exist). Sometimes lawyerly skepticism beats vendor enthusiasm.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/ai-e...
AI Email Tools For Legal: A Time Saver Or Emperor Without Clothes? - Above the Law
In legal, where the margin for error is small and the stakes are high, we can't afford to let AI vendor promises override our professional judgment.
abovethelaw.com
December 16, 2025 at 8:03 PM
At the AI Summit, watching yet another demo of AI email management, I kept thinking about The Emperor's New Clothes.
The clothes are beautiful! (PS: They don't exist). Sometimes lawyerly skepticism beats vendor enthusiasm.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/ai-e...
The clothes are beautiful! (PS: They don't exist). Sometimes lawyerly skepticism beats vendor enthusiasm.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/ai-e...
One industry is preparing for transformation. The other is driving into the future while staring in the rearview mirror.
The concept of 'cultural debt' explains a lot about why legal resists change so fiercely.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/morn...
The concept of 'cultural debt' explains a lot about why legal resists change so fiercely.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/morn...
Morning At AI Summit: Tech Debt, Cultural Debt, Whack-A-Mole, And The Benefits Of ‘I Don’t Know’ - Above the Law
Be flexible. Look at AI and what it can do holistically. Deal with not knowing the future by admitting that you don’t.
abovethelaw.com
December 13, 2025 at 1:49 AM
One industry is preparing for transformation. The other is driving into the future while staring in the rearview mirror.
The concept of 'cultural debt' explains a lot about why legal resists change so fiercely.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/morn...
The concept of 'cultural debt' explains a lot about why legal resists change so fiercely.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/morn...
When I was an associate, I'd never dream of making up a case citation. But in the age of AI, is it realistic to expect overworked associates won't use ChatGPT in an unguarded moment? Part 3 of why the legal AI volcano might erupt. It's a trust issue.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
Like Lawyers In Pompeii: Is Legal Ignoring The Coming AI Trust Crisis? (Part III) - Above the Law
Before the volcano erupts, smart lawyers may want to think twice about investing too heavily in AI or thinking it’s a panacea for all problems.
abovethelaw.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:40 PM
When I was an associate, I'd never dream of making up a case citation. But in the age of AI, is it realistic to expect overworked associates won't use ChatGPT in an unguarded moment? Part 3 of why the legal AI volcano might erupt. It's a trust issue.
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
The cost of double-checking AI work often exceeds any time savings. Legal tech's dirty little secret in Part Two of Melissa Rogozinski and my series on the coming AI volcano eruption #Pompeii
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
Like Lawyers In Pompeii: Is Legal Ignoring The Coming AI Crisis? (Part II) - Above the Law
It may be too late to completely put AI back in the bottle.
abovethelaw.com
December 8, 2025 at 2:34 PM
The cost of double-checking AI work often exceeds any time savings. Legal tech's dirty little secret in Part Two of Melissa Rogozinski and my series on the coming AI volcano eruption #Pompeii
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
The cost of double-checking AI work often exceeds any time savings. Legal tech's dirty little secret in Part Two of Melissa Rogozinski and my series on the coming AI volcano eruption #Pompeii
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
Like Lawyers In Pompeii: Is Legal Ignoring The Coming AI Crisis? (Part II) - Above the Law
It may be too late to completely put AI back in the bottle.
abovethelaw.com
December 8, 2025 at 2:34 PM
The cost of double-checking AI work often exceeds any time savings. Legal tech's dirty little secret in Part Two of Melissa Rogozinski and my series on the coming AI volcano eruption #Pompeii
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
The cost of double-checking AI work often exceeds any time savings. Legal tech's dirty little secret in Part Two of Melissa Rogozinski and my series on the coming AI volcano eruption #Pompeii
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
Like Lawyers In Pompeii: Is Legal Ignoring The Coming AI Crisis? (Part II) - Above the Law
It may be too late to completely put AI back in the bottle.
abovethelaw.com
December 8, 2025 at 2:32 PM
The cost of double-checking AI work often exceeds any time savings. Legal tech's dirty little secret in Part Two of Melissa Rogozinski and my series on the coming AI volcano eruption #Pompeii
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
Everyone’s worried about hallucinations. But we’re building our practices on infrastructure that may not support the promises.
Like ancient #Pompeii, we ignore the volcano while debating daily concerns.1st of a 3 part series
from myself & Melissa Rogozinski.
https:/abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
Like ancient #Pompeii, we ignore the volcano while debating daily concerns.1st of a 3 part series
from myself & Melissa Rogozinski.
https:/abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
December 1, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Everyone’s worried about hallucinations. But we’re building our practices on infrastructure that may not support the promises.
Like ancient #Pompeii, we ignore the volcano while debating daily concerns.1st of a 3 part series
from myself & Melissa Rogozinski.
https:/abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
Like ancient #Pompeii, we ignore the volcano while debating daily concerns.1st of a 3 part series
from myself & Melissa Rogozinski.
https:/abovethelaw.com/2025/12/like...
ChatGPT: where people spill their deepest secrets thinking it’s private, get terrible advice that confirms their biases, and create discoverable evidence for future lawsuits.
New Wash Post analysis of 47K conversations is genuinely scary for lawyers.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/wash...
New Wash Post analysis of 47K conversations is genuinely scary for lawyers.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/wash...
Washington Post Analysis Shows We Are Talking Too Much And Getting Questionable Advice From LLMs - And It May All Be Discoverable - Above the Law
It's incumbent on all of us to do all we can to make ordinary people aware of the dangers.
abovethelaw.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:58 PM
ChatGPT: where people spill their deepest secrets thinking it’s private, get terrible advice that confirms their biases, and create discoverable evidence for future lawsuits.
New Wash Post analysis of 47K conversations is genuinely scary for lawyers.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/wash...
New Wash Post analysis of 47K conversations is genuinely scary for lawyers.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/wash...
The most successful lawyers I know have one thing in common: they don't think conventionally. They find the path around the fence while everyone else charges straight ahead. I learned this lesson in grade school during a game of Capture the Flag.
www.techlawcrossroads.com/2025/11/thin...
www.techlawcrossroads.com/2025/11/thin...
Thinking Outside the Fence: What a Grade School Game Taught Me About Legal Innovation | TechLaw Crossroads
The grade school game seemed simple enough. Grab the other team's flag without getting tagged. But for a kid like me with not much athletic talent,
www.techlawcrossroads.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:54 AM
The most successful lawyers I know have one thing in common: they don't think conventionally. They find the path around the fence while everyone else charges straight ahead. I learned this lesson in grade school during a game of Capture the Flag.
www.techlawcrossroads.com/2025/11/thin...
www.techlawcrossroads.com/2025/11/thin...
I had a great time interviewing Thomas Suh, former practicing lawyer and founder of LegalMation on the FDCC Speaks podcast. We cover why the plaintiffs’ bar may be ahead of defense lawyers, what can be done to catch up and the benefits of grace to dabble.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Why the Plaintiff's Bar Is Win… - FDCC Speaks - Apple Podcasts
Podcast Episode · FDCC Speaks · 11/19/2025 · 38m
podcasts.apple.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:39 PM
I had a great time interviewing Thomas Suh, former practicing lawyer and founder of LegalMation on the FDCC Speaks podcast. We cover why the plaintiffs’ bar may be ahead of defense lawyers, what can be done to catch up and the benefits of grace to dabble.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Most law firms are debating whether AI will disrupt legal practice. Two BigLaw firms stopped debating and started training. Ropes & Gray & Latham Watkins: lawyers need grace to dabble .
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/the-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/the-...
The Grace To Dabble: Two Biglaw Firms Look To An AI-First Future - Above the Law
Both firms are investing real resources and forgoing billable hours. They are walking the walk.
abovethelaw.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Most law firms are debating whether AI will disrupt legal practice. Two BigLaw firms stopped debating and started training. Ropes & Gray & Latham Watkins: lawyers need grace to dabble .
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/the-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/the-...
New Disco and Ari Kaplan study on AI adoption in ediscovery. The paradox: 70% see AI benefits, only 35% actually use it. Meanwhile 42% of law firms feel zero pressure to change.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/the-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/the-...
The Disco Study: A Watershed Moment Or Just More Of The Same? - Above the Law
It’s a paradox: while GenAI can make things better, it’s not enthusiastically embraced. Why?
abovethelaw.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:37 PM
New Disco and Ari Kaplan study on AI adoption in ediscovery. The paradox: 70% see AI benefits, only 35% actually use it. Meanwhile 42% of law firms feel zero pressure to change.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/the-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/the-...
Affordable legal tech usually means $500+/month with a long-term contract. Descrybe is trying something different: free core features, $10-20/month for premium. Too good to be true? I talked to the founders and put it to the test.
www.americanbar.org/groups/law_p...
www.americanbar.org/groups/law_p...
An Affordable AI Tool for Solo and Small Firms
Descrybe is a natural language search tool. In keeping with the goal of reaching as many people as possible, users can input queries in plain English or Spanish without necessarily needing exact legal terminology.
www.americanbar.org
November 12, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Affordable legal tech usually means $500+/month with a long-term contract. Descrybe is trying something different: free core features, $10-20/month for premium. Too good to be true? I talked to the founders and put it to the test.
www.americanbar.org/groups/law_p...
www.americanbar.org/groups/law_p...
New Study by law firm Thompson Hine: 95% of in-house counsel say our law firms aren’t innovative enough! But they approve rate increases year after year that outpace inflation. It’s a recipe for status quo
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/mind...
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/mind...
Mind The Gap: Why In-House Counsel Often Don’t See The Innovation They Want From Law Firms - Above the Law
Perhaps it’s time for in-house legal to have a gut check with their outside counsel.
abovethelaw.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:30 PM
New Study by law firm Thompson Hine: 95% of in-house counsel say our law firms aren’t innovative enough! But they approve rate increases year after year that outpace inflation. It’s a recipe for status quo
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/mind...
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/mind...
When we talk about GenAI for the legal profession we frequently focus on the risks. But Comment 8 to Model Rule 1.1 requires us to also the understand the benefits. Sometimes we make AI a little too complicated.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/get-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/get-...
Get A Grip: Focusing On Risks Instead Of Benefits Is Making AI Way Too Hard - Above the Law
We can’t let the fact that there are dumb lawyers making stupid mistakes blind us to the benefits that AI brings.
abovethelaw.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:20 PM
When we talk about GenAI for the legal profession we frequently focus on the risks. But Comment 8 to Model Rule 1.1 requires us to also the understand the benefits. Sometimes we make AI a little too complicated.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/get-...
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/get-...
Was honored to be a guest on one of my favorite podcasts, In the News! I had a fun time. Thanks Brett Burney and Jeff Richardson for having me!
www.inthenewspodcast.com
www.inthenewspodcast.com
In the News
The tech news you need to know from the past week covering iPhones, iPads, and related mobile technology. Brought to you by Jeff Richardson of iPhone J.D. and Brett Burney of Apps in Law.
www.inthenewspodcast.com
November 7, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Was honored to be a guest on one of my favorite podcasts, In the News! I had a fun time. Thanks Brett Burney and Jeff Richardson for having me!
www.inthenewspodcast.com
www.inthenewspodcast.com
Just because you decide to switch careers in later years doesn't make you retired as some seem to think. It makes you energized.
In case you're wondering, I'm not f**king retired and dont plan to be.
www.techlawcrossroads.com
In case you're wondering, I'm not f**king retired and dont plan to be.
www.techlawcrossroads.com
TechLaw Crossroads | Stephen Embry | Exploring Technology & the Law
A national litigator offers commentary on the clash of cultures between tech and innovation and the traditional, precedent grounded legal profession.
www.techlawcrossroads.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Just because you decide to switch careers in later years doesn't make you retired as some seem to think. It makes you energized.
In case you're wondering, I'm not f**king retired and dont plan to be.
www.techlawcrossroads.com
In case you're wondering, I'm not f**king retired and dont plan to be.
www.techlawcrossroads.com
Disconnect in new legal AI study by ACC: 67% of in-house lawyers use AI tools, seeing efficiency gains. But 80% aren't even asking their outside law firms to use AI.
Clients are learning what's possible while many law firms stay comfortable.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/new-...
Clients are learning what's possible while many law firms stay comfortable.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/new-...
New Report On AI Use In-House Spells Trouble For Outside Lawyers - Above the Law
Because outside lawyers are lagging so far behind in-house and apparently making little effort to catch up, it’s not hard to envision a day of reckoning.
abovethelaw.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Disconnect in new legal AI study by ACC: 67% of in-house lawyers use AI tools, seeing efficiency gains. But 80% aren't even asking their outside law firms to use AI.
Clients are learning what's possible while many law firms stay comfortable.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/new-...
Clients are learning what's possible while many law firms stay comfortable.
abovethelaw.com/2025/11/new-...
Had a great time interviewing Nicola Shaver and Stephanie Wilkins of Legaltech Hub about the great work they are doing helping lawyer an law firms with tech solutions.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
Don't Know What Tech You Need … - FDCC Speaks - Apple Podcasts
Podcast Episode · FDCC Speaks · 11/01/2025 · 35m
podcasts.apple.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Had a great time interviewing Nicola Shaver and Stephanie Wilkins of Legaltech Hub about the great work they are doing helping lawyer an law firms with tech solutions.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...