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Daniel Lewis is responsible for leading LegalOn’s expansion into the US. He is a seasoned legal tech executive. He was the founder and CEO of Ravel Law and VP and GM of LexisNexis’s Practical Guidance, among other roles. Daniel is a graduate of Stanford Law School.
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We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Daniel Lewis: Hello, I am Daniel Lewis and I’m excited to be the one to lead LegalOn into the American market. As part of my journey within the legal tech during my career, I was lucky to try several roles and each one of them was something completely new for me.
Before that, I had already founded and acted as CEO of Ravel Law that helped to give birth to my inner entrepreneur and the desire to use technology to change the legal field.
Secondly, my job as the Vice President and General Manager at LexisNexis’s Practical Guidance division which is developing products and market strategy let me to gain some exceptional experience.
Apart from these experiences, my work in the legal tech area has helped me a lot to perceive every aspect of the sector and which possibilities it offers.
In addition to the invaluable legal knowledge I have gained during my time at Stanford Law School, I have joined my Law School background with a creative mindset, so LegalOn’s motivation to provide lawyers with cutting-edge solutions is fueled.
I’m delighted to take this next step and apply my skills to propelling LegalOn’s expansion in the US market and outside.
Can you share with us your journey towards integrating AI into your business operations?
Daniel Lewis: It has been generally quite an adventurous journey for me to have AI as a key component of our business operations. It all started a long time ago with the belief that AI could create a new way of work and client service.
As an executive of LegalTech, I’ve always been fond of the crosscurrent between law and technology. For me, AI is not only an influence factor but a necessity in the legal industry for innovation and efficiency.
The very first element of our expedition was to obtain considerable knowledge of AI technologies and how they apply to our business purpose.
The objective was to dive into relevant research, interact with various AI specialists and opinion leaders, and analyze the existing applications of AI to find points where it can be of most use. We realized very soon that AI could automate repetitive tasks, simplify workflows, and make decisions even faster.
Consequently, our team was able to perform better and achieve our clients’ best goals when they engaged our services.
After the realization, the question of how AI could benefit our business was the next challenge, and of course, overcoming implementation barriers and ensuring the success of its integration into our operating systems was the next one. Achieving that entails prudent planning, allocation of resources, and consensus building within the organization.
We devoted considerable resources to worker training programs to bring our workforce up to speed with the AI tools that were ripe for use. The other option was collaborating with renowned AI vendors and technology providers, so we could benefit from the latest solutions and the support that could fit our specific case.
In our experience of combining AI systems into our company strategies, we have experienced several difficulties. These difficulties included problems with data quality and integrations, while privacy, security, and ethics would be deemed as concerns.
Nonetheless, at the cost of assiduity and dedication to the ongoing improvement of AI, we have managed to cope with these prohibitions and at present AI results are becoming more palpable.
What specific areas of your business have been most impacted by AI, and how?
Daniel Lewis: AI has had an all-encompassing influence on our business in multiple aspects, changing operational procedures fundamentally and precipitating an impressive lack of innovation.
These significant changes have redefined how our business works and the way we serve our clients.
One of the most important areas AI affects is legal research and analysis workflow, including. Classically the task of legal research was a tiresome and demanding occupation where you and your colleagues had to comb through tons of data to get at the relevant case law, statute, and precedents.
Even though we use AI-powered legal research tools like natural language processing (NLP) algorithms and machine learning models to automate and revise efficiently this process.
With such automation tools, it is possible to analyze, categorize, and extract important insights from a large number of legal documents, and generate fully comprehensive research reports in a proportionate amount of time as a full manual research process would.
On this basis, members of our team are more efficient in research, hence they can combine such tasks with higher-level ones and clients will be provided with quicker and more correct legal advice.
What are the biggest obstacles you’ve faced in implementing AI, and how did you overcome them?
Daniel Lewis: The biggest struggle for me was the shortage of artificial intelligence technology awareness in the team and the zero trust among the team members. Some of these employees thought that their work would be controlled by AI or their skills would become outdated.
The solution to this problem was found in the process of transparency and communication when all the team members were aware and were an active part of the team. We conducted training sessions and workshops to inform the workers of the AI technology, its features, and how there might be implications to their roles.
We managed to develop an open-collaborative culture among our staff members which resulted in the reduction of anxiety and suspicion towards the utilization of AI in our daily work processes. It set the stage for easy adoption of AI-supported operations.
What advice would you give to other CEOs looking to integrate AI into their business?
Daniel Lewis: As a CEO who has been driving AI through the company and proving it revolutionary, I can articulate the positives and negatives that are related to this transition.
Start with a Clear Strategy: An understanding of your company’s purpose is needed before implementing AI so you can determine the problem areas where AI can be of the greatest service.
Come up with a whole AI strategy that is in line with your business objectives as well as makes some decisions about the appropriate cases and potential uses of AI.
Invest in Talent and Expertise: To genuinely carry out AI endeavors, the right people and the skills are pivotal. Earmark your budget in hiring or upgrading the workforce with Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, and AI Specialists who will lead your organization’s AI strategy.
Lastly, think of collaboration with the other AI companies or consultants to ensure that necessary expertise and information are delivered to the company which at some times is not possible to get from the company itself.
How do you see AI evolving in your industry over the next 5 years?
Daniel Lewis: Over the next five years, AI in the legal field will keep proceeding to transform it by integrating more innovative tools and services into the traditional ways, lawyers do the work, collaborate, and interact with clients.
Here are some key trends and developments I foresee shaping the evolution of AI in our industry: Here are some key trends and developments I foresee shaping the evolution of AI in our industry:
Advancements in Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP capabilities will move forward to the state wherein AI recognizes, interprets, and composes human speech better than ever.
It will bolster the creation of the next generation of legal AI tools, such as contract analysis, legal research, and document drafting, that can execute textual processing with the high accuracy needed to replicate the precision and nuance of legal thinking and expression.
Increased Adoption of Virtual Legal Assistants and Chatbots: Virtual judicial assistants and convo-chat powered by AI will be eyeing an entry into law firms and legal departments, bringing their multi-hourly abilities to cross the numerous attorneys, clients, and other people who belong to the legal circles.
These AI-based assistants shall handle normal tasks like meeting queries, appointments, and advising basic solutions so that the human cohorts will have unhindered ways for sophisticated and complex issues.
What does “success” in 2024 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Daniel Lewis: In 2024, success to me is about being both personally and professionally accomplished with growth, fulfillment, and having a positive effect on the lives of others.
On a personal level I view success as keeping my work–life balanced having a strong support system, and taking care of myself physically and mentally. It is the lifelong process of both professional and personal development that I work on as I try to realize my potential as well as make others’ lives better.
At the business level, success in 2024 represents the fruit of reaching certain key short-term goals and objectives that pull us ahead and keep us to our principles and goals.
It comprises shaping the creation and promotion of innovative products via bringing the top quality experience to our clients and forming a culture of collaboration, diversity, and inclusion within the team.
Besides this success is making a practical influence on our industry and locality using creating innovative products, being a thought leader, and developing social initiatives aimed at the betterment of society.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Daniel Lewis for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Daniel Lewis or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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