The Legal Data Intelligence Podcast with David Cowen (Episode 18)

In this episode of Careers and The Business of Law: The Legal Data Intelligence Series, David Cowen hosts a discussion with three founding members of the Legal Data Intelligence model: Jeremiah Weasenforth (Legal Analytics Director at Edward Jones), Ashley Christakis (Senior Manager, eDiscovery and Legal Operations at CrowdStrike), and Julia Hasenzahl (Co-Founder & CEO at Prosearch). This episode focuses on the myriad meta skills required to succeed as a Legal Data Intelligence leader. The podcast guests explore the attributes, habits, and traits that enable LDI practitioners to build a fulfilling career in legal and related industries.

Listen to the full episode and read a partial transcript below.

David Cowen: What were your early experiences in taking that leap into doing more strategic work?

Jeremiah Weasenforth: I started in the ediscovery space. I was a hands-on ediscovery attorney who was managing projects and using technology. It really started to evolve from there. I started to think about how to use technology differently, like what are the analytical insights we could draw to make different kinds of decisions when we are running ediscovery projects—whether that’s related to budgets, how we handle different types of matters, etc. It kind of grew from there and developed into a much broader role where I’m managing our entire ediscovery group.

I was at an event recently where someone asked the question “How much of your work isn’t what your title suggests?” How are work and the roles alongside it evolving?

Julia Hasenzahl: We are working with clients who have new problems and new challenges with respect to data. We are seeing that the organizations we are working with have a need that goes beyond just purchasing the services at a lower price point. They are looking to solve new problems. We are learning as an industry how to provide that consulting work and solution engineering around client problems.

There’s an arms race for technology and there’s a war for talent. How are you thinking of new roles and ways of attracting talent to these roles?

Ashley Christakis: I think finding the talent is just as important as the value of the talent because we have this framework called the Legal Data Intelligence model. Needing that experience and undertaking the art of the possible. We are dealing with so much information: ediscovery, business of law, invoice review and contracts, etc. Big data needs big ideas. I think it’s the people that do have the adaptability, the grit and the experience—the LDI community that’s going to help level up the experience and the meta skills required to thrive in this new world.