Biglaw, Technology

Will Legal Tech Eventually Disrupt Biglaw? A Conversation With Lex Machina's Owen Byrd

Biglaw has remained relatively unaffected by legal tech, but this company may soon shake Biglaw to its core.

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Since starting to publish conversations here on ATL, I have become increasingly interested in the fledgling legal-tech industry.  And I say fledgling because, compared with other industries, Biglaw has remained relatively unaffected by legal tech.  Sure, legal tech startups are making it easier for lawyers to do their jobs and do them better, but there has not yet been the equivalent of an Airbnb or an Uber that shakes Biglaw firms to their core.

Now, despite the famous-in-tech-circles-only Marc Andreessen quote, “Software is eating the world,” not every industry is edible. But why not Biglaw? It is a regulated industry with expensive overhead, charging high hourly billing rates for work clients hate paying for, and lawyers hate doing.  Owen Byrd, the chief evangelist and general counsel of Silicon Valley-based Lex Machina, a company that provides Moneyball-type data to lawyers, is at the forefront of legal disruption. In addition to his current role at Lex Machina, he has a rich background in law and technology, had his own practice, and founded his own startup.  I’m looking forward to learning more about Owen as well as getting his perspective on the future of Biglaw and the impact of legal tech.

Zach Abramowitz is a former Biglaw associate and currently CEO and co-founder of ReplyAll. You can follow Zach on Twitter (@zachabramowitz) or reach him by email at zach@replyall.me.

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