The Filevine User Conference came about September 29th by means of October 2nd in Salt Lake Metropolis. I used to be within the convention partly as a result of Filevine not too long ago acquired a $400 million infusion and I needed to see what the ambiance was as in comparison with final 12 months’s convention, additionally in Salt Lake.
Final 12 months, Filevine roughly threw down the gauntlet on extravagant vendor conferences. It featured a keynote with the actor Jake Gyllenhaal and a live performance by well-known rap artist, Nelly. There was a whole lot of pleasure and main bulletins.
Like final 12 months, this 12 months’s convention featured a well known actor, Bob Odenkirk (Higher Name Saul), and a live performance apparently by a well known nation music group, the Turnpike Troubadours. (I’m not a rustic fan so it was a bit misplaced on me.) The vitality and keenness appeared the identical, as exemplified by its CEO Ryan Anderson. I get pleasure from speaking to the Filevine of us and, like final 12 months, discovered them attention-grabbing and educated.
And maybe in line with an organization simply getting a $400 million infusion, Filevine gave each attendee $200 in coupons to spend within the Filevine Professional Store (extra on that later).
Key Take Aways
After being there for the three days, three traits are apparent. First, like another distributors, Filevine sees the worth in offering one singular AI and tech supply for all its prospects. It’s increasing what its varied AI instruments can accomplish that that prospects keep within the Filevine campground for as many duties as potential.
All effectively and good however in case you comply with Cory Doctorow’s enshitification theme (the place an organization presents an ideal product at an ideal value however because it grows it presents much less service at the next value), it ties up prospects and makes it tough for them to modify if Filevine decides sooner or later to lift the charges and supply much less service. It’s good for purchasers within the quick run. How good in the long term stays to be seen.
Secondly, lots of Filevine’s instruments scale back the period of time wanted by attorneys and authorized professionals to spend doing case and matter actions. As I’ve discussed before, this implies, for instance, that plaintiffs’ attorneys who take circumstances on a contingency foundation could possibly profitably deal with circumstances that they beforehand couldn’t. These are circumstances with decrease publicity. With out AI and automation instruments, the period of time wanted to deal with the case would exceed what may probably be recovered. Not coincidentally, lots of Filevine’s prospects are private harm attorneys.
Lastly, like another suppliers, Filevine appears arduous on the follow ache factors and sees the worth in offering AI instruments that work and tackle these factors.
The Opening Keynote
Like final 12 months, the opening Keynote was given by the CEO and founder, Ryan Anderson. He’s a kind of tech entrepreneurs who bounds on the stage filled with vitality and keenness, a number of quick speaking (that means he talked quick, not essentially that he was filled with BS, though I’m positive there was a few of that). His Keynote units the stage for what’s to come back.
Apparently, Anderson opened his Keynote by speaking about the opportunity of tech corporations changing into rivals of legislation corporations as an alternative of suppliers of merchandise to them. I say attention-grabbing as a result of not too long ago I posed the same question in reference to the acquisition by the tech firm Lawhive of a UK legislation agency.
As may be anticipated, Anderson provided a stirring protection of legislation corporations and expressed the concept there are issues human attorneys can and all the time will do higher. Like persuasion, empathy, and authorized technique. I say anticipated since Filevine is a giant vendor of tech to legislation corporations (at the very least for now).
Anderson’s huge information by way of merchandise was the notion of an idea he known as LOIS (Authorized Working Intelligence Answer). The thought is that LOIS would be the hub to unify all Filevine’s AI instruments and case administration software program. Anderson stated the platform will likely be a linked setting for these instruments to work collectively in an orchestrated trend.
After the Keynote, I talked with Keegan Chapman, Filevine’s Chief Advertising Officer, about LOIS. I acquired the sense that LOIS is extra of an idea and mind-set than an precise product. I additionally acquired the concept it’s a approach to discuss with the slew of various merchandise Filevine presents in a unified approach. Says Chapman, “All these merchandise scattered all through Filevine felt very disjointed. We realized that the true energy is just not when you could have one however when you could have AI in every step of your course of. And that’s what we began naming LOIS for.”
Good concept. I’ve written before concerning the confusion that arises when a authorized tech vendor presents a bunch of merchandise with completely different names that do barely various things.
Past LOIS, there have been a number of consumer periods, typically devoted to make use of by plaintiffs’ and smaller legislation corporations who appear to represent the majority of Filevine’s buyer base and the precise use of the assorted instruments.
New Merchandise and Enhancements
On the conclusion of the primary full day, Filevine’s Chief Product Officer, Michael Anderson, together with a number of others took the stage to debate Filevine’s new merchandise and enhancements. As with most distributors nowadays, most of those aren’t launched but and will likely be in beta beginning later this 12 months.
The 2 vital have been the enhancements to the deposition software and the entry of Filevine within the authorized analysis discipline which I beforehand addressed.
Listed below are a few of the different bulletins.
1. Filevine’s main flagship AI software, Chat with Your Case, now appears extra like a full AI-powered case evaluation and drafting assistant. Key enhancements embrace:
- The sidebar chat has been redesigned with a full-screen mode and a historical past map.
- The precise phrases and pages the AI depends on are displayed.
- A brand new AI classifier now routes queries to the proper agent, distinguishing between fact-finding, procedural, and generative duties.
Key upcoming options will add the power to routinely produce slide decks or PDFs summarizing case strengths and weaknesses and the power for customers to have the ability to select which datasets the AI attracts from.
2. Draft AI is a brand new embedded drafting assistant built-in into Filevine’s doc meeting system. Options embrace:
- A hybrid drafting enginethat combines conventional templates with generative AI for distinctive sections like recitals and factual backgrounds.
- Direct Filevine information entry that attracts instantly from the case file resulting in accuracy and formatting consistency.
- The power to speak with the doc itself to edit, question, or insert sections.
3. Filevine’s Well timed product, an AI-driven deadline calculation software, has been fully rebuilt utilizing AI. The enhancements embrace:
- Protection of circumstances in all 50 state and federal jurisdictions.
- An AI-enhanced native rule detection characteristic.
- Synced deadlines that seem routinely in Filevine initiatives, Outlook, and Google calendars.
4. Filevine’s Medical Chronology software is a medical document summarization system that now routinely updates as new medical data are uploaded. It might additionally now be narrowed for particular varieties of data. Sooner or later, the software will embrace automated deduplication, and the power to mix medical data and payments right into a unified view, cross-comparison of payments and data to search out lacking paperwork, and the power for the consumer to approve or exclude paperwork earlier than inclusion.
The Proverbial Vibe
Along with content material and bulletins, each convention ought to be assessed on its vibe, vitality, and really feel. On this level, I give Filevine a B+ for the explanations under. A number of pleasure and keenness. A number of discuss AI and what I may do. The Filevine folks went out of their approach to be useful and courteous. The periods have been good and informative. The keynotes have been strong. The exhibit corridor was energized.
However…
Regardless of all this, on some issues Filevine was, effectively, a bit tone deaf.
Take LOIS. Conceptually seems like a good suggestion. However why introduce it with a video displaying two enticing girls who presumably gave a glance and voice to LOIS. And for that matter, why identify it for a girl in any respect? Whether or not intentional or not, the selection to anthropomorphize an AI assistant as feminine and have it represented by enticing girls in promotional supplies reinforces outdated stereotypes about whose work issues much less.
Minor level? Perhaps. And by itself it may not have been noticeable. However a few different issues prompt a bro ambiance. All through the venue there have been all types of references to sports activities, primarily golf. Photos of well-known male golfers. Trophies exhibited to counsel a rustic membership ambiance. References to membership membership. Even the swag was provided in a “Professional Store.” Most of it had “Member” displayed on it. Sure, girls play golf; however I didn’t see any footage of girls golfers anyplace.
Nothing mistaken with golf references per se, however when your entire aesthetic skews closely towards one demographic’s leisure actions, it sends a message about who the “default” buyer is imagined to be.
Then there was the opening night time get together. The theme was Kentucky Derby, replete with mint juleps, cigar rolling, and simulated betting. Now I’m completely satisfied my state’s largest occasion acquired some discover, but it surely appeared jarring to have a Derby get together in late September in Salt Lake Metropolis. Past the odd timing, it might be seen as doubling down on the unique nation and boys membership picture.
Placing all this collectively, it gave an impression that might be off placing and detract, somewhat than improve, the purpose of the convention: exhibit merchandise whereas letting everybody have enjoyable and really feel comfy. In a male-dominated business recognized for the alternative form of ambiance, it was a distraction.
However At Least No Lady in a Champagne Glass
However that shouldn’t take something away from the truth that general, the convention was actually good. And in contrast to one other well-known authorized tech convention this 12 months, at the very least there was no scantily clad lady in a big champagne glass on the major get together.
Stephen Embry is a lawyer, speaker, blogger, and author. He publishes TechLaw Crossroads, a weblog dedicated to the examination of the stress between expertise, the legislation, and the follow of legislation.
