Everyone Wants AI to Think Like a Lawyer. That's the Problem. ft. Colin Levy

Legal AI has no shortage of promises. Now, the real challenge is figuring out which ones are worth adopting. In this episode of Between the Briefs by Steno, Adrian Cea and Joe Stephens sit down with Colin Levy, General Counsel at Malbek, legal tech author, and educator, to discuss how lawyers can adopt AI thoughtfully without sacrificing professional judgment. Colin explains why AI should be viewed as a collaborator rather than a competitor, how firms can evaluate technology through practical use cases instead of buzzwords, and why the future of legal practice depends as much on education and mindset as it does on the technology itself.

What You’ll Learn:

Why the biggest obstacle to AI adoption is often lawyer mindset, not the technology itself
How to distinguish meaningful AI capabilities from legal tech marketing hype
Why testing AI with real legal workflows is more valuable than watching polished product demonstrations
How to build realistic expectations for AI by treating it as an assistant, not an infallible expert
Why human judgment remains the defining skill that AI cannot replace
How junior lawyers can develop confidence in evaluating AI-generated work despite having less practical experience
Why legal tech vendors should focus on education and partnership instead of overselling AI
How law schools can prepare future lawyers by embedding AI literacy throughout legal education rather than treating it as a standalone subject

This episode explores how lawyers can make smarter technology decisions, and build a future where legal expertise and artificial intelligence work together, not against each other.

Highlights:
00:00 Introduction
02:30 Colin's Journey Into Law and Technology
06:58 Navigating AI Adoption in the Legal Industry
11:30 Why Lawyers Are Embracing AI More Cautiously
17:19 Cutting Through AI Hype With Practical Legal Tech
23:13 Teaching AI and Judgment to the Next Generation of Lawyers
29:06 Writing, Creativity, and AI as a Legal Assistant
35:46 The Human Skills AI Can't Replace
37:07 Hot Takes & Closing Thoughts

Quotes:

“Technology, as I've long recognized, and like you both recognize as well, doesn't hold back and doesn't wait for any industry or anyone or anything to keep up with it. It just continues to march on forward and evolve.”
“AI is not self-aware, it is not thinking the way you and I think, it is not reasoning, it doesn't understand context beyond what you provide it with. And so, you can't think about it in human terms.”
“There is an incumbent need for AI to be part of the curriculum of legal education. Perhaps from the very first year, but I would argue that it shouldn't be taught in isolation. It should be taught as sort of a cross disciplinary type of thing.”
“I think for law firms, as well as for legal departments, frankly, who are also buyers of legal tech, the most effective way to get through to them is to almost in some ways consult with them, build a relationship with them, understand their needs. Understand where they're coming from and educate them in a non-salesy way with content, with resources, and take things slow rather than foist the things upon them.”
“Humans being so fickle, so imperfect, flawed and emotional - these are all things that technology historically and continues to really struggle with, and I don't see that changing anytime soon or ever. So I dare say that, the humanness element is something that technology can never conquer.”