Zach Abramowitz is Legally Disrupted

Hosted by Zach Abramowitz

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Aug 2026

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This is a podcast for the people who want to understand and shape the future of the law. Hey there, I'm Zach Abramowitz and I am Legally Disrupted! 15 years ago, my legal career was disrupted by tech. Today, I'm advising the some of the most influential legal service providers in the world on their AI strategy and investing in some of the promising #legalAI startups. Every week, I talk to the builders, founders, operators, and decision-makers driving change in a legal ecosystem being reshaped by AI. We don't just revel in the gloriousness of AI -- we do that too! But, we also break down complex ideas and separate signal from noise. Our content focuses on what’s real, what matters, and what everyone else is missing. So what are you waiting for? Let's get disrupted!

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58 recent

August 19, 2026Episode 6255 min

E58 - Zach and Richard’s Excellent Legal AI Adventure: Will Legal AI Cause Legal to Actually Change?

Richard Tromans of Artificial Lawyer is back with Zach and on the attack as they square up over whether massive Legal AI funding, truly signals systemic transformation. They then discuss whether these massive sums of money are hitting a tipping point and what could happen if the levee breaks. Maybe the legal industry is simply running in place. In this Episode: 00:00 Zach’s Hot Disruptive Legal Take 00:42 Could Harvey be Valued at $16B? 01:50 Legal AI Fatigue 03:20 Harvey, Legora and The Big Short? 08:46 Legal AI a Luxury Handbag Market? 10:31 AI Wizards and Muggles in Big Law 13:35 The Seeds of Systemic AI Impact 21:36 Valuations Signal Technology is Essential In Legal Service Delivery 23:02 Jevons Paradox and the Volume of Modern Contracts 30:08 AI Still Needs Daycare 36:48 “New Mod” and “AI First” Firms are Pressuring Big Law 44:18 Is the Market Wrong on TR/Lexis 49:48 Are Chief AI Officers CINOs Differently Packaged? Subscribe to Zach’s newsletter https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Follow Zach on X https://x.com/ZachAbramowitz?lang=en Engage Killer Whale Strategies https://www.killerwhalestrategies.com Learn more about Richard - tromansconsulting.com , artificiallawyer.com Follow Richard - linkedin.com/in/artificiallawyer , https://x.com/ArtificialLawya

August 16, 2026Episode 6148 min

E57 - We are a Judgement-First Law Firm, Brian Belt, Founding Partner, Acevedo Belt

A 35-Year Big Law Veteran Is Doing the Best Work of His Career With AI But He Doesn’t Call His Firm AI-First. Brian Belt explains why Acevedo Belt is “judgment-first,” why he thinks legal AI is a bargain, and how AI is changing everything from junior-lawyer training to the kinds of matters a small firm can take on. In this episode: 0:00 Zach's Hot Disruptive Legal Take 4:25 The Big Law Veteran Who Loves AI 6:21 "Harvey Writes Better Than I Do" 7:39 Why "ROI" Is the Wrong Metric 11:13 Clients Notice the Difference 13:47 You Can Finally Train Junior Associates 16:07 New Way to Train Associates 21:17 Scaling Up and Scaling Down 24:24 Why Harvey Is Better for Small Firms 28:46 Legal AI is a Bargain! 34:46 Process Mapping & the Best Use Cases 36:59 Why Not Just Use the Base Models? 37:54 Do Your Old Big Law Colleagues Get It? 40:32 What Is a "Judgment-First" Law Firm? 43:21 Do the Best Lawyers Run on No Sleep? Subscribe to Zach’s newsletter: https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Follow Zach on X: https://x.com/ZachAbramowitz?lang=en Follow Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianbelt Engage Killer Whale Strategies: https://www.killerwhalestrategies.com

August 12, 2026Episode 6059 min

E56 - AI-Pilled, Not AI-First: Arlo Devlin-Brown, Founding Principal, TDB Law

What happens when a veteran litigator starts treating AI less like a chatbot and more like an operating system for his cases? In this episode, Zach speaks with Arlo Devlin-Brown, founder of TDB Law, about how AI is changing the way he actually practices law. They discuss why AI may be particularly powerful for litigators, how Arlo has built an AI-powered system that continuously tracks his cases, and why the technology is more useful for exploring arguments and strategy than simply generating finished work. The conversation also explores the future of junior lawyers, why big law’s leverage model may be under pressure, and why Arlo rejects the idea that firms should sell themselves as “AI-native” rather than simply being excellent lawyers who use AI well. In this episode: Why AI may be more transformative for litigation than transactional law How Arlo uses AI as an operating system and shared memory for his cases Why AI can make junior lawyers more valuable, not obsolete How AI could fundamentally reshape the Big Law leverage model Why “AI-native” law firms may be missing the point Subscribe to Zach’s newsletter https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Follow Zach on X https://x.com/ZachAbramowitz?lang=en Follow Along on LinkedIn: Arlo - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arlodb Zach - www.linkedin.com/in/zachabramowitz Engage Killer Whale Strategies https://www.killerwhalestrategies.com

July 29, 2026Episode 5943 min

E55 - Lawyers Leaving Trad Law for AI-First Firms? Norm Law Partner Batya Nadler

What happens when a veteran Big Law attorney leaves a traditional partnership to help build a law firm from scratch? In this episode, Zach speaks with Batya Nadler, Partner at Norm Law, about her decision to join one of the legal industry's most ambitious AI-native firms. They discuss how Norm combines experienced lawyers with legal engineers and AI agents, why repeatable legal workflows are the ideal starting point for automation, and how AI is changing, not replacing, the role of senior attorneys. The conversation also explores why client relationships remain the foundation of legal practice, what skills lawyers need to thrive in an AI-first world, and why Batya believes the future belongs to firms built around AI from day one. In this episode: Why Batya left Big Law to help build an AI-native law firm from the ground up How legal engineers and AI agents are transforming repeatable legal workflows Why senior lawyers remain essential, even as AI automates more legal work How Norm is rethinking the traditional law firm model around AI-native infrastructure What lawyers can do today to become AI-fluent and prepare for the future of legal practice Subscribe to Zach’s newsletter https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Follow Zach on X Zach https://x.com/ZachAbramowitz?lang=en Follow Batya https://www.linkedin.com/in/batya-nadler-1ba85410 Engage Killer Whale Strategies https://www.killerwhalestrategies.com

July 17, 2026Episode 581 hr 6 min

E54 - Who Will Win AI for In-House Counsel? Ross McNairn, CEO Wordsmith.ai

Why are some general counsel suddenly becoming the most influential executives in the C-suite? In this episode, Zach speaks with Ross McNairn, founder and CEO of Wordsmith, about why AI is fundamentally changing the role of in-house legal teams. They discuss how legal departments are evolving from cost centers into strategic operators, why generic AI chatbots aren't enough for enterprise legal work, and how the next generation of legal technology will help GCs measure ROI, manage legal operations, and reduce reliance on outside counsel. The conversation also explores why traditional CLM systems have fallen short, the emergence of legal engineering, and what the future of corporate legal teams looks like in an AI-native world. In this episode: •⁠ ⁠Why AI is turning general counsel into technology leaders inside their organizations •⁠ ⁠Why enterprise legal teams need more than ChatGPT to transform their workflows •⁠ ⁠How legal departments can finally measure ROI and demonstrate business value •⁠ ⁠Why traditional CLM systems failed and what comes next •⁠ ⁠How legal engineering is becoming one of the most important new roles in corporate legal Follow Along: Ross - https://x.com/rossmcnairn?lang=en , https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossmcnairn Zach - https://x.com/ZachAbramowitz?lang=en , www.linkedin.com/in/zachabramowitz Subscribe to Zach’s newsletter https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Engage Killer Whale Strategies https://www.killerwhalestrategies.com

June 23, 2026Episode 5737 min

E53 - The AI First Firm Valued at Close to $1 Billion, Manifest OS CEO Dan Mishin

Why would top venture capital firms invest $60 million into an immigration law startup at a $750 million valuation? In this episode, Zach speaks with Dan Mishin, founder and CEO of Manifest, about his vision for transforming one of the most complex and underserved areas of legal practice. They discuss why immigration law became the company's first focus, how AI is helping lawyers process cases faster and more accurately, and why Manifest is building far more than a traditional law firm. The conversation explores the challenges facing both lawyers and clients in the immigration system, the opportunity to create AI-native legal infrastructure, and what happens when software, operations, and legal expertise are combined into a single platform. In this episode: Why investors valued Manifest at $750 million after its first major funding round How AI is transforming immigration law through speed, accuracy, and automation Why Manifest is building legal infrastructure, not just another law firm The hidden operational problems holding back many legal practices How AI-native platforms could help lawyers serve more clients at lower cost Learn More: https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Follow Along: Dan - https://x.com/mishindan1 , https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmishin Zach - https://x.com/ZachAbramowitz?lang=en , www.linkedin.com/in/zachabramowitz Subscribe to Zach’s newsletter https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Engage Killer Whale Strategies https://www.killerwhalestrategies.com

June 16, 2026Episode 5656 min

E52 - Is Legal AI a Trillion-Dollar Opportunity? Legora CEO, Max Junestrand

As AI capabilities accelerate, how should law firms and legal departments prepare for a future where agents can perform increasingly complex legal work? In this episode, Zach speaks with Max Junestrand, CEO and co-founder of Legora, about the rapid evolution of legal AI and what it means for the future of legal services. They discuss the recent wave of law firms building their own AI initiatives, why legal teams are adopting AI faster than many realize, and how firms can rethink their business models in an agent-driven world. The conversation also explores the role of legal-specific AI products, the growing importance of transformation partners, and why Max believes legal AI represents a trillion-dollar opportunity. In this episode: Why law firms are investing heavily in AI How legal teams can prepare for a future where AI agents perform increasingly complex work Why legal-specific AI products still matter in a world of Claude, GPT, and other frontier models How AI is changing the economics of legal services and creating new opportunities for firms Why Max believes legal AI could become a trillion-dollar market opportunity Subscribe to Zach’s newsletter https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Follow Zach on X https://x.com/ZachAbramowitz?lang=en Follow Max on X https://x.com/MaxJunestrand Engage Killer Whale Strategies https://www.killerwhalestrategies.com

May 31, 2026Episode 5548 min

E51 - Can Open Source Compete with Harvey and Legora? Mike OSS Founder William Chen

What happens when a former lawyer looks at the biggest names in legal AI and decides he can build a competing product in two weeks? In this episode, Zach speaks with Will Chen, founder of Mike, an open-source legal AI platform that has quickly gained attention for challenging conventional wisdom in legal tech. They discuss why some lawyers are frustrated with existing legal AI products, the rise of vibe coding, and how AI is making software development more accessible than ever. The conversation also explores open-source legal AI, the growing movement toward law firms building their own tools, and why some believe the future of legal technology may be far more decentralized than today's market leaders expect. In this episode: Why Will believes many legal AI products are little more than thin wrappers around frontier models How vibe coding is enabling lawyers to build software without traditional engineering backgrounds The case for open-source legal AI and local-first deployment in law firms Why more firms are exploring building their own AI tools instead of buying them How AI could lower the barriers to starting a law firm or legal tech company Learn More: https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Follow Along: Will - https://x.com/willchen500 , https://hk.linkedin.com/in/will-chen-0bb0a477 Zach - https://x.com/ZachAbramowitz?lang=en , https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachabramowitz

May 17, 2026Episode 541 hr 15 min

E50 - Inside Harvey with Winston Weinberg, Founder & CEO of Harvey

How did Harvey become the defining company in legal AI and where does the industry go from here? In this episode, Zach speaks with Winston Weinberg, founder and CEO of Harvey, about the company’s rapid rise at the center of the legal AI boom. They discuss how law firms are actually adopting AI, why legal workflows are uniquely suited for large language models, and what it takes to build products trusted by the world’s top legal organizations. The conversation also explores the evolving relationship between lawyers and AI, the challenges of scaling legal technology, and why the next generation of legal professionals may work very differently than the last. In this episode: How Harvey became one of the most influential companies in legal AI What law firms are actually looking for when adopting AI tools Why legal work is especially well-suited for large language models The biggest challenges in building trusted AI products for lawyers How AI could fundamentally reshape the future of legal practice and legal careers Learn More: Winston - https://www.harvey.ai/blog/author/winston-weinberg Zach - https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Follow Along: Winston - https://www.linkedin.com/in/winston-weinberg Zach - linkedin.com/in/zachabramowitz

May 11, 2026Episode 5346 min

E49 - Harvey and Legora vs AI First Firms, Logan Brown, Soxton

What happens when you rebuild a law firm from scratch in the age of AI? In this episode, Zach speaks with Logan Brown, founder of Soxton, an AI-first law firm serving startups as an on-demand, AI-powered general counsel. They discuss how Soxton is rethinking legal services from the ground up, why fixed pricing and automation are expanding access to legal help, and where traditional law firms still have the edge. The conversation also dives into the explosion of new startups, the rise of AI-driven litigation, and whether Big Law is facing a slow but inevitable transformation. In this episode: How AI-first law firms are redesigning legal services and pricing models Why startups are delaying hiring in-house counsel with AI-powered alternatives Where traditional law firms still win—and where they’re most vulnerable Why AI could drive both more startups and more litigation How legal careers and firm structures may fundamentally change in the next decade Learn More: Logan - https://fortune.com/2026/04/05/logan-brown-soxton-founder-2-5-million-ai-powered-law-firm-started-da-office-12-years-old/ Zach - https://www.legallydisrupted.com/ Follow Along: Logan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/logan-brown-03765552 Zach - linkedin.com/in/zachabramowitz