❓ 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗧 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽… 𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗥𝗢𝗜?That question summed up a powerful People in Legal conversation filmed live at the iManage Conference in Melbourne (Nov 2025).Host David Woolstencroft spoke with the Harbor team — Scott Sonter, Scott Cooper, and Damian Jeal — about what law firm CIOs and CTOs are really dealing with right now.And it is not just “𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁?”The Harbor team shared insights from working across risk, finance, document management and managed services, including:• 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙜𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙖 • 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙮 • 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝘼𝙄 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙫𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙮𝙥𝙚 • 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙍𝙊𝙄 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 • 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡What stood out most was Harbor’s 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲-𝗼𝗳-𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 — advising on strategy, helping select the right solutions, implementing them, and then staying involved through managed services. That broader view means they are not just delivering projects, they are helping firms make better decisions before major budget is committed.For law firm tech leaders under pressure to modernise, secure data, support lawyers and still prove ROI, that kind of market-wide perspective is invaluable.Because the real question is not “Which tool should we buy next?”It is “Are we investing in the right things, in the right order, for the right outcomes?”Share your thoughts with us!hashtag#PeopleInLegal hashtag#LegalTech hashtag#LawFirmIT hashtag#CIO hashtag#CTO hashtag#iManage hashtag#DigitalTransformation hashtag#BusinessOfLaw

“If a law firm is running 100 matters with average disbursements of $5,000. that’s $500,000 locked up for two to three years.”In this episode of the People and Legal Podcast, host Chantal McNaught engages with Jo Cope, CEO of Providior, to discuss the intricacies of disbursement funding in the legal sector.

Jo shares her extensive experience in financial services and legal funding, emphasising the challenges law firms face in managing disbursements, particularly in personal injury cases that can take years to settle. She highlights how Providior supports law firms by providing the necessary capital to cover these costs, allowing them to focus on their clients and grow their practices without the burden of upfront expenses.

The conversation explores the evolution of disbursement funding since Providior's inception in 2013, the importance of collaboration among funders, and the impact of recent challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic on the legal industry. Jo also discusses the role of technology and AI in improving operational efficiency and client service, as well as the significance of understanding business metrics for law firms.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Law and Beyond Show

01:32 Meet Jo Cope: CEO of Providior

03:27 Understanding Disbursement Funding

09:36 The Evolution of Disbursement Funding

13:03 Risk Management in Legal Funding

18:13 Leadership Challenges in the Legal Sector

23:26 Embracing Technology and AI in Legal Funding

27:52 Fun Segment: Jo's Food Weakness

This episode has been brought to you by Novum Global.

In this conversation, Dan discusses the latest innovations at NetDocuments, focusing on AI enhancements in document management, including semantic search capabilities, the introduction of MD Connect for third-party integrations, and the future roadmap for collaboration tools. The discussion highlights how these advancements are transforming workflows in law firms and improving client service.

Chapters

00:00Introduction and Overview of NetDocuments' Innovations

02:48AI Advancements in Document Management

05:43Semantic Search and User Experience

08:22MD Connect: Enhancing Workflow Integration

10:48AI Profiling and Client Service Improvements

13:48Future Roadmap and Collaboration Tools

In this special episode of the People in Legal – Law and Beyond Podcast, host Chantal McNaught sits down with her friend and future lawyer Rhonda McGrath for an unfiltered conversation about life at the intersection of law, technology, and learning.

From stumbling into a career in legal tech to grappling with trust accounting, Rhonda shares her candid experiences as a law student, her insights into AI’s role in the legal profession, and why lawyers need to stay mindful of over-relying on technology.

Together, Chantal and Rhonda unpack:

• How “lizard brain mode” shows up in legal practice 👀
• Why legal tech can be both intimidating and empowering 💻
• The ethics and risks of AI in law ⚖️
• The importance of slowing down, thinking critically, and finding balance 🌱
• Plus, a fun segment on irrational fears

👉 Whether you’re a lawyer, law student, or just curious about the real human side of the legal profession, this episode offers honesty, laughs, and practical takeaways.

What happens when a commercial lawyer stops trying to "look like a lawyer" and starts building the future of the legal industry instead?

In this episode, we’re hanging out with Yule Guttenbeil—the award-winning principal of Attune Legal and a self-described "multi-entrepreneur." Yule isn't just practising law, he’s building communities, coworking spaces, and software platforms using something called "Vibe Coding."

In this episode, we’re diving into:

🤖 The "Vibe Coding" Revolution: How Yule is building custom software for the Lex Nova Guild without being a "coder" (and why you can do it too).

⛏️ Following the Frustration: Why your biggest daily annoyances are actually a roadmap for your next big system or tech tool.

🤵 Shedding the "Big Law" Skin: Why the suit and the facade might be holding your solo practice back from finding its true tribe.

💸 Decoupling Time from Value: Why Yule thinks billing by the hour is "grotesque" and how he’s flipped the script to focus on results instead of the clock.

🏋️ The Powerlifting Connection: A reminder that lawyers are whole people with lives, hobbies, and gym memberships outside of the office.

👉 Whether you’re a solo practitioner feeling the "lonely" part of the job, or a tech-curious lawyer wondering if AI can actually build your dream app, Yule’s insights will help you work smarter, think bigger, and finally clear that inbox.

Stick around for the bonus segment (this will be published later!): We’ve carved out a special deep-dive where Yule explains the exact platform he’s building and how "vibe coding" actually works in the real world.

Connect with the Show:

• Host: Chantal McNaught (Author of the Fully Automated Luxury Lawyer newsletter)
• Guest: Yule Guttenbeil (Attune Legal / Lex Nova Guild)

Don't be a stranger! If you enjoyed this trip into the expanding legal universe, leave us a review. It helps other legal rebels find the show. 🚀

In this episode of the People in Legal podcast, host Chantal McNaught speaks with Mona Chiha, a pioneer in legal technology and the founder of JurisTechni.

Mona shares her journey from finance to law, her passion for creating ethical AI solutions, and her commitment to making justice accessible and transparent. The conversation explores the importance of explainable AI in the legal field, the challenges of litigation funding, and the impact of community-driven initiatives. Mona's inspiring story emphasises the power of individual contributions to create positive change in the world.

Takeaways

👉 You can't do everything, but every small action counts.

👉 Mona's journey reflects the intersection of law and technology.

👉 Ethical AI is crucial for the future of legal tech.

👉 Community support is essential for making a difference.

👉 Regulation is key to creating safe technologies.

👉 Explainable AI can transform how legal decisions are made.

👉 Empowering lawyers with technology enhances their advocacy.

👉 Philanthropy can come from anyone, not just the wealthy.

👉 Building a business requires collaboration and support.

👉 Ethics should be integrated into every aspect of technology.

Mona’s story is one of vision fused with humanity — from raising four children while pursuing groundbreaking research, to inspiring the next generation of women in STEM.

Whether you’re in law, academia, or technology, this conversation will challenge how you think about justice in a digital age.

Angus Murray joins host Chantal McNaught to explore what it really means to practice law in a world of rapid technological change, AI tools, and growing pressure to treat law as a business first and a profession second.

From a childhood conversation with his grandmother in England to a Masters in Stockholm and a career at the intersection of technology, privacy and human rights, Angus shares how his path in law has always come back to one theme: keeping humans at the centre. He and Chantal delve into why some of the “boring” aspects of legal work still matter, how AI can both support and undermine good legal practice, and why the profession overlooks early career development at its peril.

In this episode, we discuss:
👉 How Angus built a career across practice, technology, human rights and academia
👉 Why law must remain human centred, even as AI tools spread
👉 The tension between law as a profession and law as a business
👉 The paginator story. what old tech can teach us about new tools
👉 Why slow, careful work is still an ethical advantage in law
👉 AI “hallucinations”, headnotes and the danger of outsourcing thinking
👉 How cutting junior roles for AI might hollow out future legal skills
👉 What really counts as a “legal service”, and how that may evolve
👉 The importance of humility. lawyers as servants to a justice system and to society

If you enjoy this episode of Law and Beyond on the People in Legal podcast, please follow or subscribe in your podcast app and consider leaving a rating or review. It helps others in the legal and tech community find the show.

In this episode of The Law and Beyond Show, host Chantal McNaught sits down with Karrina Mountfort, founder of Webbased AI and The AI Assembly, to explore how AI can transform businesses while keeping people and processes at the core.

Karina shares her journey from decades in tech innovation to building a supportive AI hub in New Zealand, dedicated to helping individuals and SMEs adopt technology with confidence.

Together they discuss:

• Why AI adoption succeeds or fails
• The importance of starting small and including people in the journey
• Key principles around privacy, risk, and accountability in professional services
• How focusing on processes before tools prevents wasted investment
• Why the future of AI is about giving people back their time and letting them do what they trained for

Disclosure: This episode was brought to you by the generosity of The AI Assembly. Without partners like The AI Assembly, we would not be able to produce this content for listeners. In the development of this episode, we have retained full editorial control.

Who should listen: Lawyers, compliance professionals, educators, and leaders curious about AI’s role in shaping sustainable and human-centered businesses.