Between the Briefs

Latest Episodes:

Most Lawyers Are Ignoring AI’s Biggest Risk: Insights from Steve Embry Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

AI has taken over legal in a way lawyers didn’t expect. But what if lawyers and AI could evolve alongside each other? In this episode of Between the Briefs by Steno, hosts Joe Stephens and Adrian Cea sit down with Steve Embry of embryLaw LLC, national litigator and renowned legal tech writer, to explore the collision between artificial intelligence and traditional legal practice.
What You’ll Learn:

The Verification Paradox: How the time saved using generative AI tools may be offset or entirely negated by the time required to verify outputs
Why senior lawyers must understand AI regardless of personal preference

How to train the next-generation of litigators without over-reliance on AI

The billing model crisis generative AI creates and what’s going to replace it

Why market differentiation matters when it comes to AI implications

Why the real risk isn’t technology failure; it’s creative stagnation

AI isn’t all it’s cut out to be - this episode reveals what it is.

Highlights:

00:00 Intro
02:00 Steve’s Journey: From Mass Tort Defense to Legal Tech Commentary
04:27 How to Find Your Unique Voice in Legal Technology Writing
07:34 Above the Law: Staying Focused Amid Legal Tech Overload
10:38 Steve’s Analysis of Legal AI Today
17:43 Why AI Efficiency Gains Get Consumed by Validation
25:04 Strategic Mentorship Over Tool Reliance & Training the Next Generation
31:15 Writing as the Foundation of Excellent Legal Practice
35:56 What We Lose When AI Eliminates the Struggle of Creative Work
39:29 Steve’s Hot Take: The Dangerous Conflation of AI and Generative AI in Legal Practice
42:22 Key Takeaways & Closing Thoughts
Quotes:

“I would get calls from time to time about cases in the jurisdiction where I practiced and about particular judges. I would say, 'I don't have a clue. I haven't had a case here in 20 years.’ So here I was, working remotely and, in a sense, completely disconnected from the local court environment. I was operating in a much more expansive, national context, which led me to understand the value and potential of technology.”
“I know how law firms work. I know law firm bureaucracy. I know how consensus decisions are not made in law firms. I know the tensions. I know how lawyers and litigators sweat in the middle of the night. All of those things, I think, impact the use and value of technology in very fundamental sorts of ways.”
"When I first started, I was trying to write about everything legal tech. There was just so much happening, and it was exciting. But it quickly became overwhelming. It felt like I was drinking from the proverbial fire hose, trying to keep up with every new product, every new development in the space.”
“I think the hottest take on the industry right now is sort of the rush to embrace generative AI tools. The glossing over of real issues, the failure to sort of understand the distinction between artificial intelligence generally and generative AI specifically, the notion that all AI is generative AI, so only generative AI solutions will work for what the book we need to have done.”

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A Trial Lawyer’s Guide to Preserving the U.S. Justice System ft. Eric Weitz Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

The fabric of American law is changing - courts are in crisis, judges are under threat - and something needs to change. This episode of Between the Briefs by Steno reveals the ‘what’ as hosts Adrian Cea and Joe Stephens sit down with Eric Weitz, Founder of the Weitz Law Firm and President of the Pennsylvania Association for Justice.
What You’ll Learn:

Leveraging authenticity to build courtroom credibility, instead of performance
The critical gap between law school education and trial practice reality

Why non-economic settlements matter more than transactional case resolution

How to leverage technology for strategic advantage without losing your competitive edge

The three universal needs of every catastrophic injury client

The major shifts taking place in the plaintiff litigation space

Trial lawyers find themselves at an inflection point. This episode reminds us how to make the best of it.
Highlights:

00:00 Introduction
02:22 From Big Law to Plaintiff Advocacy: Eric Weitz's 30-Year Journey
06:00 Authenticity as Your Most Potent Trial Weapon
07:30 Why Persuasion Beats Performance in Trial Law
10:50 The Critical Gap Between Law School and Practice
13:33 Pennsylvania Association for Justice: Defending the Rule of Law
18:04 How Young Attorneys Can Impact the Justice System
20:20 Unity in the Trial Bar: Fighting for Common Causes
23:36 Building the Weitz Law Firm
27:16 Why Non-Economic Considerations are More Important for Trial Lawyers
31:48 Reframing Trial Lawyers: Community Leaders and Advocates for Change
34:08 How Catastrophic Injury Work Changes a Person
37:45 Technology's Double-Edged Sword in Medical Malpractice Litigation
40:05 Learning Without Technology: Lessons from Practice Evolution
41:22 Eric’s Hot Take: Consolidation, Funding Pressures and Rising Verdicts
45:05 Closing Thoughts
Quotes:

“Look, whether I’m on trial and something happens where an opportunity or you see something in your daily practice, I call them gifts. It’s the way I choose to label them because I really view them that way. It’s not, “how did I not know it?”
“Authenticity is the single most potent weapon that anybody has. Jurors are really good at sniffing out nonsense, and if you’re trying to sell something and you’re not being genuine as a person, it doesn’t matter what you say. It doesn’t matter how right you are.”
“Two things strike me right off the bat… I used to be convinced when I was younger that to be a trial lawyer you had to have that it factor… until I spent enough time in a courtroom to see all sorts of different styles. The drama we see today in the media is so exaggerated and so overblown. And I have just found that that doesn’t translate well into a courtroom until the client or the lawyer have earned it.”
“What are you going to law school for? You’re going to learn how to think, you’re hoping to pick up some substance to help you on the bar exam, period. Law schools very much care about their bar passage rate and since the bar is the threshold now, that’s why I think our education is so limited.”
“We are probably facing the single greatest attack on the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary that we have ever seen. Our federal legislature has kind of abdicated their power to the executive branch. The courts are all that’s left. The threats on their family, the threats on their lives, the attacks in the press, we forget judges are human beings too.”

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Getting People to Change is the Hardest Part About Legal Tech Adoption ft. Carolyn Humpherys Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

Change is always uncomfortable. But in today’s tech-driven world, it is necessary. In this episode of Between the Briefs by Steno, hosts Joe Stephens and Adrian Cea welcome Carolyn Humpherys, Senior Consultant at Traveling Coaches, to explore the critical gap between implementing new technology and achieving genuine organizational adoption.
What You’ll Learn:

Why change management and strategic training are the secret weapons behind successful AI adoption in law firms
How to overcome the resistance that derails most digital transformation initiatives

How to identify and remove adoption barriers within your organization

The practical strategies for implementing emerging technologies like Microsoft Copilot and generative AI tools
Understand the pivotal role of prompt engineering in maximizing AI productivity

How to build a culture of innovation in traditionally risk-averse law firms

Changing is no longer a survival tactic. It’s a competitive advantage. Tune in to understand how you can leverage it.
Highlights:
00:00 Introduction & Meeting Carolyn Humpherys
00:41 From Skepticism to Innovation: How Top Law Firms Embrace Change
08:40 Why Adoption, Not Implementation, Is the Real Challenge
12:56 Mastering AI Prompting & The "Questions Before You Begin" Technique
16:19 Measuring Success Beyond Time
25:02 Why Leadership Must Model Technology Adoption
29:49 How to Convert Tech Skeptics
32:41 The "Woo Factor" & Why it Beats Hierarchy
34:12 The Reasons Why Legal Tech Implementation Fails
38:03 The Science of Hiring to Build High-Performing Teams
39:49 Why Proof-of-Concepts Should Empower End-Users
43:28 Carolyn’s Hottest Take: Democratizing AI Access
45:14 Closing Thoughts
Quotes:

"I would say the most common gap is to be able to execute change, to get adoption of whatever that change is. Maybe it's a workflow, maybe it's taking advantage of new technologies. Whatever that change is, firms struggle to get everybody going in the same direction and to get that adoption because adoption only happens when the majority of people within that organization choose to change and it is a choice, right?”
“If it's wrong to do it yourself, it's wrong to do it using AI. We would never put case law into a brief that we haven't shepherdedized, that we haven't looked up and validated word for word, that we got that quote right, that we know for sure that it's accurate.
“I think that the trap is they think that there's one magic prompt that's going to spit out a perfect answer and it doesn't work that way. You may need to iterate your way through it. You may need to ask some follow-up questions. A little trick that I like to use is at the end of my prompt, ask AI, "What questions do you have before you begin?”
“We need to see our leaders using technology, following the rules, following that knowledge management, all of those rules, because if they're not doing it, guess what? Their lawyers that report to them aren't going to do it either.”

Between The Briefs is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Retaining Top Legal Talent in 2026: The Playbook by Karen Mesmer Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

Retaining top legal talent often feels like an uphill climb. Unless you have Karen Mesmer’s playbook. In this episode of Between the Briefs, Karen, Legal Services Manager at Shook, Hardy and Bacon, joins hosts Adrian Cea and Joe Stephens to explore how premier litigation firms are evolving their operations in the face of technological disruption.
What You’ll Learn:

How to evaluate AI tools without replacing institutional knowledge
The essential soft skills that no technology can replicate

Why technical fluency in platforms like Excel and document management systems is now table stakes

The retention secret of fostering a culture of deliberate care and shared responsibility
How to structure career pathways that grow talent internally

The discipline of vendor evaluation & prioritizing transparency and fair value exchange

The legal industry is nothing without its people. So, it’s time we started paying attention to them.
Highlights:

00:00 Introduction & Meeting Karen Mesmer
03:00 Behind Karen’s Four Decades of Legal Innovation
04:45 Why Energy and Soft Skills Beat Credentials
06:06 Navigating the Tech Transitions of Legal
10:56 Hiring, Firing, Manners and Accountability
17:20 AI as Enhancement, Not Replacement: The Future of Legal Work
20:46 Digital Literacy as Table Stakes for Modern Operations
21:53 The Secret to Career Advancement in Law Firms
24:33 Lessons from the Paralegal Years: Presence and Boundaries
27:47 Professional Development and Internal Growth Pathways
29:30 Vendor Fatigue and Transparent Technology Evaluation
33:21 Building Cultures Where Nobody Leaves: The Shook Model
36:21 Preparing Your Successor and Planning for Transition
37:18 Karen’s Hot Take: Protecting Young People from Irreversible Decisions
38:52 Closing Thoughts
Quotes:

“Manners is another good one. You know, I think please and thank you go a long way. I sometimes have to, you know, do backspace, backspace and put in the word please because I'm shooting something off really fast. But I think those are important. I do think someone who cares about the firm and cares about the people that are on their team is really important.”
“The customer is always right, which means our clients, even if they're not right, they're right. You've got to know that because that's the way you need to treat them.”
“And when COVID happened, that took a nice chunk of business, you know, stopped it. And I can't remember if it was six months before we ever went back into the courtroom or maybe even longer, maybe it was a year, but no one got laid off. They made it work. I swear it's just a kindness that I see. And another thing is you'll see people who, you know, all of a sudden someone's got an emergency and so we'll send out some emails for help. Tons of people say, "I'll help.”
“You have to like change. I mean, there are some people that have probably never moved the furniture around in their house. And if they haven't, and they're not going to necessarily change in this environment, and this especially since COVID, this environment has really changed a bunch. And I've liked everything that has changed.”

Between The Briefs is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Why Law Firms Reject Innovation and How Ted Theodoropoulos Is Making Change Happen Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

What’s it going to take for legal companies to wholeheartedly embrace legal technology? Social proof, as Ted Theodoropoulos, CEO of Infodash, puts it. In this episode of Between the Briefs by Steno, hosts Adrian Cea and Joe Stephens, pick Ted’s brain about the tech reckoning the legal landscape is confronted with, today.
What You’ll Learn:

Why "Innovation Theater" still dominates big law and why that’s dangerous
Why change management is critical to successful AI adoption, not the tools
How Gen AI is forcing conversations about business models that should have happened years ago

The “social proof” strategy for legal tech vendors to sell successfully

The how and why of practical AI integration that doesn’t replace the human touch

How managed service organizations (MSOs), private capital, and emerging regulatory pathways are quietly restructuring legal service delivery

The legal landscape has essentially reached the point of no return. And, that’s a good thing.
Highlights:

00:00 Introduction & Meeting Ted Theodoropoulos
02:03 Ted’s Podcasting Story & The Legal Innovation Spotlight
04:18 Innovation Theater is a Real Thing in Legal
12:14 Why Law Firms Resist Standardization
18:00 Building Social Proof is the Only Way for Legal Tech Adoption
20:26 Why Does Anyone Need an Intranet?
22:38 Measuring Success Beyond Page Views and Usage Data
28:06 How Venture Capital Is Reshaping Legal Tech Competition
32:06 Blending Generative AI with Human Legal Expertise
35:58 The Advantage of Vertical Focus Over Horizontal Expansion
39:00 Podcasting Lessons: Adapting Communication Style for Maximum Engagement
41:18 Ted’s Hot Take: The Business Model Reckoning & Why Law Firms Must Invest 10% in Tech
46:12 The Consolidation Wave Legal Can’t Ignore
47:19 Key Takeaways: Trust, Focus, and Structural Innovation in Legal Tech
Quotes:

"There's been a lot of innovation theater in legal where innovation titles were handed out, but firms weren't fully committed to innovating, especially at a foundational level. Until you've got buy-in at the top, which is now starting to happen because AI has really forced their hand.”
"The reason that law firms are so resistant to change and tech adoption is the bespoke nature of legal work. It's historically been an artisan craft. You can take lawyers in the same firm, in the same practice, and they are going to do things completely differently, with their own precedent documents that they use as starting points. They have their own little org structure, how they leverage paralegals, their own processes, how they engage with clients."
"I always say, law firms don't buy tech - they buy social proof. You have to build that book of social proof before you'll really get at-bats with the biggest firms. Most vendors have to work their way up the ladder incrementally and eat table scraps in the beginning until they build. And you have to build that book of social proof before you'll really get at bats with the biggest firms."
"Buying the tech is the easy part. It's the change management discipline that has to come along with the tech that is going to ultimately determine whether something becomes shelfware or generates great ROI for the firm.”
"I think the number one attribute is focus. Vendors who come into this space with a horizontal focus don't do well, it's the ones who jump all in because that legal resume is so important. If you're in it long enough and become a student of the industry, you become an advisor beyond just whatever it is your technology does.”

Between The Briefs is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

The Attorney Work Styles Framework: What Kind of Lawyer Are You, Really? Jan 08, 2026

Show notes

In this special episode of Between the Briefs, Adrian Cea sits down with Dylan Ruga, Carly Savar, and Joe Stephens to unpack Steno’s new Attorney Work Styles Framework - a quiz that reveals whether you’re a Research Commander, Strategic Architect, Courtroom Dynamo, or Narrative Weaver.
What You’ll Learn:

How the four attorney archetypes work and why none of them is “the best”
Why a Research Commander’s strength in precedent can become a limitation without strategy
How Strategic Architects see three to four steps ahead and keep cases moving

The real-world pressure (and burnout risk) behind being a Courtroom Dynamo
Why Narrative Weavers win hearts and how to avoid falling in love with the wrong story

Where hallway settlements actually happen and why soft skills matter in court

How lawyers evolve across archetypes as their careers change

The value of pairing opposite styles to build stronger legal teams

Why the most effective lawyers blend story, law, preparation, and adaptability

The result of the quiz is less about personality typing and more about awareness, growth, and building better legal teams.
Highlights:
00:00 – Introduction
01:15 – Breaking Down the Four Archetypes
03:22 – Carly: Why I Wanted to Be a Courtroom Dynamo
04:28 – Dylan: From Sports to Strategy in the Law
05:33 – Joe: Teaching, Trials, and 11 Ironmans
11:20 – Working With Different Styles (And Friction)
15:03 – Which Archetype Do Top Lawyers Usually Land In?
22:58 – Downsides: When Your Strength Becomes a Weakness
26:42 – Clients, Conflict, and Totally Different Perspectives
32:32 – Why Work Styles Matter When Building Legal Teams
38:29 – Avoiding Echo Chambers (And Finding Honest Feedback)
40:56 – Final Thoughts: AI, Soft Skills, and the Future of Lawyers
Quotes:

“Someone once described being in trial to me as, you know, having to make a decision, a pretty important decision every ten, fifteen, twenty seconds all day for as long as the trial goes on.” - Joe Stephens
“Being a strategic architect is great if everything works out the way that you hope it'll work out, but it never does.” - Dylan Ruga
“So, having that difference of opinion, I think can be really fruitful. And I think it's really important sometimes for lawyers to seek that out, just making sure that there is someone out there checking on you and making sure that what you're saying, and what you're thinking is coming through the way you think it is.” - Joe Stephens
“We don't lose sight of what the case law is while we're telling the stories that matter. It's who can think ahead, who can articulate what matters and go back to the fundamentals and make sure we're actually citing good law. I think that's going to rule the day…” - Carly Savar

Between The Briefs is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

AI Can’t Take a Lawyer’s Job. We’re Going to be Okay. ft. Christina Natale Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

“We’re going to be okay” - sometimes that’s all we need to hear. In the latest episode of Between the Briefs, Christina Natale, Director of Legal Strategy & Solutions at HIKE2, sends this message to all lawyers living in the age of AI. Her mantra is simple - AI cannot practice law the way lawyers do. But it can change how it is practiced.
What You’ll Learn:

How to map your current workflow before selecting technology

Why niche, single-purpose tools often outperform comprehensive case management platforms

The strategic discovery phase that prevents failed implementations

How to translate complex technology concepts for non-technical legal teams

Why workflow mapping reveals opportunities for AI and automation beyond initial assumptions

The business case for junior associates learning technology literacy alongside

This episode is the playbook you need to get legal AI/ tech right in 2026.
Highlights:
00:00 Introduction
01:57 From Complex Litigation to Legal Operations: Christina's Career Journey
03:37 Case Management Solutions for Every Firm Size
05:30 What’s So Special About Operations?
10:57 Map Your Workflow Before Selecting Technology
14:07 Start with Niche, Single-Purpose Solutions First
17:04 When Your Team Gets Overwhelmed, Implement Technology
23:52 Translating Complex Technology Concepts for Legal Teams
27:33 Hike2's Full-Stack Approach: Strategic Advisory Through Implementation
32:33 Vetting and Recommending the Right Tools for Your Firm
37:18 Why Junior Associates Need Technology Literacy as Core Competency
41:01 The Future of Legal Operations: Agentic AI and Human Judgment
44:38 Christina’s Hot Take: AI Cannot Replace Lawyers
46:16 Key Takeaways & Final Thoughts
Quotes:

“If I'm gonna be back in the weeds and I really love and want to litigate at a high level and service my clients, how can I do that if we're not leveraging technology in a way that makes our lives easier and takes some of the tedious or repetitive tasks that are really important?”
“There has to be a better way and understanding it from that level of depth of knowing what we mean when we say law firm operations are managing cases, what really goes into the day to day, what resources our teams need.”
“I do think that innovation is critical to our profession. I think that it makes us better at serving our clients. I think that we're going to get to a really good place where we can hopefully find that and optimize that.”
“I've mentored law students since I've graduated. And, you know, the questions are always like, I don't know what I want to do, like what type of law do I want to practice, et cetera. And like almost any lawyer you know, or anyone who's come from being a lawyer into some transition could tell you that they're not doing anything that they thought they'd be doing when they were in law school. I don't mean this in a negative way, they're probably not doing anything they learned in law school.”
“I don't think we'll ever be in a place where AI is capable of practicing law in the way that we think of. I keep seeing stuff on Reddit every day. It's like, look at all these people who are using AI to fight traffic tickets and break their leases and they're winning. But as lawyers, I do think again, and especially in more complex matters and matters that require expertise and experience, there's no substitute for that. There really just isn't.”

Between The Briefs is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Adam Maxwell on Why Employment Law Is About to Explode Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

Employment law stands at the cusp of transformation in the age of AI, but poor hiring strategies could cost you everything. In this episode of Between the Briefs, hosts Adrian Cea and Joe Stephen sit down with Adam Maxwell, litigation partner at Schoenberg Finkel Beederman Bell Glazer LLC, to explore why employment law compliance shouldn't stifle business growth, how to navigate non-competes across state lines and the critical softer skills that separate good lawyers from exceptional ones.
What You’ll Learn:

How to identify and close compliance gaps before they become costly liabilities:
Why credibility, not perfection, wins cases and mediations

The strategic framework for evaluating non-competes in a patchwork regulatory environment
How to screen clients early by establishing candor as a non-negotiable condition
The business development principle of selective growth over rapid expansion
Why AI efficiency gains should reduce client costs, not firm profits

If you’ve been looking for actionable insights to stay ahead of compliance gaps before they become costly litigation, this is the conversation for you.
Highlights:
00:00 Introduction & Meeting Adam Maxwell
00:01 From Accidental Law Student to Litigation Partner
00:06 Employment Law in a Highly Aware Workforce
00:10 AI's Role in Legal Literacy and Client Preparation
00:06 Growth Exposes Compliance Gaps
00:08 Balancing Compliance Requirements With Business Innovation
00:10 Cryptocurrency Fraud, Limited Remedies and Recovery Challenges
00:14 Why Building a Book of Business is an Underappreciated Career Essential
00:16 Are Non-Competes in Flux Today?
00:21 How to Build an Employment Law Case Effectively
00:24 Why Emotional Intelligence Wins Cases
00:27 Deposition Mastery Requires Credibility Over Perfection
00:30 Selective Client Intake & Recognizing Red Flags Early
00:33 The Client Screening Process & When to Say No
00:36 The Billable Hour vs. AI Efficiency: Passing Savings to Clients
00:39 Adam’s Hot Take: Fire Fast, Hire Slow
00:40 Key Takeaways & Final Thoughts
Quotes:

“The business of law in a law firm environment for associates and for partners is in developing a book of business. So it's developing your own clients and there's a variety of advantages to that. You can sort of control what matters you work on, and what the demands of your practice are."
“In my view, the moment that a judge or a jury thinks that a witness is just reciting lines, they have lost credibility and credibility wins cases and loses cases. So the strategy that I use is to focus less on memorizing answers and more on understanding the themes. What you need to know is your story.”
“It's important to be able to be selective about your cases, and that changes in the trajectory of your career, right? When you first start trying to build a book of business, you're eager to take whatever, and solve whatever problems. But in my experience, most of the time, those cases where you're reluctant to take them at the beginning are the cases that are the biggest problems."
"It's not about being perfect, it's about being credible. And what they will not forgive is a lie, and they will not forgive being deceptive."
"A lot of what I do and what lawyers do is they separate the emotion from the facts and from logic. And so, you know, a lot of it is disassociating emotions, and giving advice that is not based on emotions."

Between The Briefs is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

AI’s Doesn’t Just Produce Faster Legal Work, It Produces Better Work: Insights from Daniel Schwarcz Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

We’ve all heard that AI can make lawyers better at their jobs. But now there’s data-backed research to prove it. And now, there’s research to prove it. In the latest episode of Between the Briefs by Steno, hosts Adrian Cea and Joe Stephens welcome Daniel Schwarcz, Professor at University of Minnesota, to discuss the groundbreaking paper, “AI-Powered Lawyering” and its empirical findings on how certain AI tools are reshaping legal practice.
What You’ll Learn:

How retrieval-augmented generation transforms legal research
Why reasoning models like O1 Preview outperform traditional language models for legal analysis
The critical distinction between efficiency gains and quality improvements
How to identify tasks where AI adds meaningful value versus areas requiring caution
Why relying on AI without domain expertise creates ethical liability

The emerging labor market realities for junior attorneys

Every lawyer needs proof - this study is all the evidence you could need about AI use in today’s legal landscape.
Highlights:

00:00 Introduction & Meeting Professor Daniel Schwarcz
02:05 AI-Powered Lawyering: Reasoning Models and Retrieval-Augmented Generation
03:27 How Significant are Productivity and Quality Gains?
08:19 Research Trade-Offs & Developing AI Use as a Skill
11:22 Retrieval-Augmented Generation & Its Role in Legal Research
13:51 How Reasoning Models Enhance Legal Analysis Rigor
15:30 Why Empirical Evidence is Crucial in the Age of AI
19:12 Critical Ethical Considerations When Deploying AI Legal Tools
22:14 Why AI Effectiveness Varies by Task: The NDA Drafting Paradox
29:55 AI in Legal: We Don’t Know What the Future Holds
34:58 Daniel’s Hot Take: The Labor Market Disruption
40:15 The Future of Legal Practice: Automation, New Business Models, and Opportunity
45:30 Key Takeaways and the Path Forward for Legal Professionals
Quotes:

“We found significant improvement in efficiency, but where we really saw differences in how human lawyers who had these tools performed was in the quality of their work. Not only were the folks who participated in our study performing and providing us with legal work really quickly relative to those without AI, but they were providing better work.”
“These tools are really powerful right now in terms of helping many younger lawyers with very common tasks and tasks that require a significant amount of intellectual rigor and analytical depth. Our participants in general reported increased personal satisfaction in completing the tasks with AI compared to not AI. They felt it was empowering.”
“What the empirical evidence does is it grounds us in where we are now and where we were a few months ago. And that’s really important because there’s a tremendous amount of hype around AI and a tremendous amount of skepticism around AI.”
“AI can give you answers that seem really good, but they may not always be really good if you are not an expert in the field. The ideal world where AI is most useful is for people who are already experts, who already understand a problem, who are using AI to help them produce an answer.”
“Do I worry that AI in five years, ten years is going to really change the practice of lawyering and maybe even make certain jobs completely automated? Yeah, I do. We are trying to see if we can get an AI system that can provide effective legal advice to small business startups. That would do everything that a lawyer would do.”

Between The Briefs is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

How Legal Tech and Grit Inspire $7-Figure Personal Injury Verdicts: Tyler Barnett’s Story Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

What does it take to land some of the biggest personal injury verdicts in history? Tyler Barnett, an accomplished attorney at Yuhl | Carr LLP, spills the beans in the latest episode of Between the Briefs by Steno. Tune in as hosts Adrian Cea and Joe Stephens sit down with Tyler to explore the critical elements required to build a thriving boutique practice.
What You’ll Learn:

How to filter cases with precision and why turning down over 95% of incoming cases could be a good thing
Why establishing attorney-led client relationships from intake is non-negotiable
The psychological framework for jury connection and why storytelling plays such a big role
How to conduct investigations proactively before filing suit.
Why video deposition records matter more than transcripts and the credibility they bring
The responsible AI strategy for litigation and the importance of developing custom AI models
How trial functions as the great equalizer in litigation
The imperative to prioritize craft mastery over technology adoption

This episode is a masterclass in creating the perfect success formula to winning (for your clients and for yourself) in personal injury law.
Highlights:
00:00 Introduction & Meeting Tyler Barnett
01:50 What Drives a Personal Injury Attorney
02:25 Why Being Selective About Clients is a Good Thing
03:20 When Red Flags Matter: Learning from High-Value Case Mistakes
06:18 From Criminal Courts to Civil Practice: Tyler's Professional Evolution
09:45 Trial Strategy: Collaborative Approaches and Jury Psychology
12:23 Why Video Depositions are More Valuable Than Transcripts
13:42 AI in Legal Practice: Responsible Integration and Custom Frameworks
16:48 The Real Consequences of Judicial Sanctions and AI Hallucinations
17:59 Technology's Impact on Human Skills and Grit
21:28 Teaching Younger Attorneys Active Listening
23:02 Why Every Case Is Not Worth Millions
24:24 Client Intake Guidance: What to Look for in Your Attorney
26:10 Pre-Filing Investigation: EDR Data, Witness Interviews and Due Diligence
28:00 AI, Contingency Fees & The Economics of Modern Litigation
30:21 Managing Expectations Between Client Consent and AI Transparency
32:07 Why Trial is the Great Equalizer
34:23 Building Investigator Relationships: Twenty Years of Trust
35:38 Humanizing Case Narratives and the Importance of Storytelling
38:28 Tyler’s Hot Take: Mastering Your Craft Above All Else
39:27 Closing Thoughts
Quotes:

“I've always hated bullies and institutional hypocrisy, and I wanted to be able to fight for victims of those two things, especially the people that couldn't fight for themselves. I like being my own boss and I like being able to pick the cases that I'm going to pursue so I can dig into the people that I believe are deserving.”
“I turn down about 95 plus percent of the cases that come in the door. Obviously what I'm looking for at first is whether or not the case has merit. The relationship that I'm going to have with the client is going to be long and involved, and I need to gauge what kind of person this client is.”
“In order to develop that relationship and that trust, the attorney needs to be hands on from the beginning. Ultimately it comes down to them trusting you, and you have to start in the beginning at earning that trust. The only way to do that is by directly communicating with the potential client before the case is taken on.”
“AI is only as good as what you feed it, and you have to know what you're feeding it so you can trust the outcome. People want AI to generate something and it's really not work product. You just have to be careful and you can't just rely. Knowledge comes from experience and not from technology.”
“The courtroom is the grand equalizer. It doesn't matter how big that defendant is. It could be General Motors or Philip Morris, but there's only one person on their behalf that can be speaking at a time in that courtroom. That is the perfect example of what can be accomplished in a courtroom.”

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