It is probably just an odd coincidence that the two top things that caught my eye were legal innovations out of Arizona, the same week when I am going to Arizona for a weekend getaway with my lovely wife. But is seems that the weather is not the only hot thing happening in The Grand Canyon State. Phoenix-based Fennemore is continuing its impressive growth and strategic goals of innovating the practice of law with its Project BlueWave of automation, AI, and AFAs. As well as Faegre Drinker (I’m still getting use to this newish name) relaunching their Design Lab in lovely Scottsdale, Arizona. Makes me think that I should get out to Arizona more often.

Another “hot” item this week is the announcement that both McDermott and Akin Gump added Directors of AI Innovation. Jeff Westcott has joined Akin to oversee the integration of AI into client services, while Christopher Cyrus has been appointed at McDermott to explore and implement cutting-edge AI solutions. Congrats to both.

And finally, the amazing collaboration between Stephanie Wilkins, Rhys Dipshan, Isha Marathe, and Cassandre Coyer gave us a fun and very useful glossary of AI terms on the law.com site. This is definitely worth reviewing and even I learned a few new words of the trade.

So, enjoy this week’s overview of news that I found interesting. Remember, you can track these stories with the AI Lawyer Talking Tech podcast (Spotify or Apple) which covers legal tech news and summarizes stories on a daily basis.

Fennemore Launches Project BlueWave and Lucent Law Collab
Fennemore has launched Project BlueWave, an innovative initiative aimed at transforming legal services through AI, automation, and alternative pricing models. The firm also announced its combination with Lucent Law, a technology-driven boutique firm, to enhance its capabilities in delivering efficient, client-focused legal solutions.

Faegre Drinker Relaunches Legal Design Lab in Scottsdale
Faegre Drinker has relaunched its Design Lab in Scottsdale, Arizona, enhancing its commitment to innovation in legal services through design thinking and visual communication. Originally established in partnership with Stanford University’s Legal Design Lab, the Scottsdale location aims to better support clients in solving complex legal challenges and developing effective trial strategies​.

The Artificial Intelligence Glossary
I usually don’t share articles behind a paywall, but this glossary of terms compiled by Stephanie Wilkins, Rhys Dipshan, Isha Marathe, and Cassandre Coyer is fantastic. There were a few terms that were new to me… like “cheapfake.” Great compilation by the law.com group.

LexisNexis Unveils Personalized AI Tool ‘Lexis Protégé’
LexisNexis continues to lead in AI-powered legal research with the introduction of Lexis Protégé. This new tool personalizes the legal research experience by offering tailored content recommendations based on the user’s specific needs, dramatically improving efficiency for legal professionals. The tool marks a significant advancement in integrating AI into legal workflows.

MyCase Announces Major AI and Accounting Enhancements
MyCase, a leading law practice management platform, introduced three significant updates this week, including the AI conversational interface MyCase IQ, enhancements to its accounting module, and an immigration add-on powered by Docketwise. These features streamline case management, offer enhanced accounting functionalities, and provide a comprehensive immigration case management solution, demonstrating MyCase’s commitment to legal tech innovation.

Linklaters Launches GenAI Training Programme
Global law firm Linklaters unveiled its GenAI Expert Training Programme, designed to deepen its lawyers’ understanding of generative AI (GenAI) and its applications in legal practice. This program, launched in collaboration with King’s College London, equips lawyers with practical skills in AI use cases and prompt engineering, marking a significant step in AI-driven legal education​.

The Evolution of Document Drafting: A Conversation with Jeff Pfeifer about LSA, Henchman and Lexis Generative AI Solutions
In a recent development in legal technology, LexisNexis has unveiled an enhanced document drafting solution by merging its Lexis Search Advantage (LSA) and Henchman products. This innovation, called Lexis Create DMS (formerly Henchman), provides lawyers with access to high-value exemplars during the drafting process. While LSA will continue to be supported, its features, including Intelligize classifiers, will be integrated into Lexis Create DMS in 2025. This combination will optimize document relevance and quality for drafting. Additionally, LexisNexis is expanding its AI capabilities, accessing 32 million litigation documents for argument drafting and enabling firms to use their own documents as grounding data for generative AI adoption.

Novaplex Launches Compare, Completing Legal Document Drafting Suite
UK-based legal tech provider Novaplex has launched Compare, a cutting-edge software designed to enhance legal document drafting by detecting nuanced changes across various document elements, such as comments, headers, and tables. After two years of development and collaboration with law firms, Compare completes Novaplex’s suite of drafting tools and addresses the high accuracy demands of law firms.

Akin Gump Hires New Director of AI Innovation
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has appointed Jeff Westcott as the Director of Practice Technology and AI Innovation. Westcott, who has extensive experience in AI and legal tech, will lead the firm’s efforts to leverage AI tools to enhance client services. Akin Gump has also expanded its technology transactions team in London, further solidifying its position in the legal tech sector.

McDermott Adds New Director of AI Innovation
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery has appointed Christopher Cyrus as its first Director of AI Innovation. Cyrus, a seasoned attorney and consultant, will lead the firm’s efforts to explore, adopt, and implement cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. The appointment underscores McDermott’s commitment to driving innovation through technology, as the firm believes AI will continue to disrupt and evolve the legal industry.

Snowflake Raises $2.3 Billion in Convertible Senior Notes Offering
AI data cloud company Snowflake has completed a $2.3 billion offering of convertible senior notes, which includes $1.15 billion due in 2027 and 2029, respectively. The company, which provides AI-driven data solutions, will use this capital to enhance its cloud infrastructure and expand its market presence in AI data management.