In this episode of Legal Late Night, we’re helping managing attorneys move past their inner “Bill Lumberg” by leveraging technology that monitors without being menacing. I’m joined by Dean Whalen of Readback and John Skelton of Seyfarth Shaw to discuss why AI-based deposition software is the ultimate equalizer in high-stakes litigation.
Law is a details business, and managing attorneys are notorious micromanagers. It’s born out of a compelling neurosis: the fear of a mistake that leads to a malpractice complaint or an ethics investigation. But trying to achieve a constant level of observation is exhausting for everyone involved.
The secret to breaking the cycle is process management. When you charge your staff with building and managing workflows, you create a self-documenting system. If a motion was due on March 6th, you don’t need to ask if it’s done—you just look at the shared file. By using ticklers and connected task lists, you can manage from a distance, ensuring your meetings are focused on higher-order issues rather than rote tasks.
Our guests today share more than just legal expertise; both Dean Whalen and John Skelton are fellow graduates of St. Anselm College. While the monks might not approve of Jared’s “potty mouth,” they’d certainly be proud of the careers these guys have built for themselves.
Dean Whalen, the Chief Legal Officer of Readback, was actually the original host of the Legal Toolkit podcast 15 years ago. John Skelton is a partner at Seyfarth Shaw and a seasoned trial attorney who once helped keep the New England Patriots from moving to St. Louis. Together, they represent the bridge between “Big Law” grit and the new frontier of legal technology.
For decades, court reporting relied on a shrinking supply of stenographers. As Dean points out, in what other industry in the information age can you ask customers to wait longer for a product (the transcript) and pay more for it? This supply-and-demand crisis led to the development of Readback, an AI-powered deposition solution.
Readback isn’t just a generic speech-to-text tool. It uses a patented engine trained specifically on legal language, encapsulated in a secure environment to protect sensitive data. Here’s why it’s changing the game for litigators like John:
In a stunning display of cultural dominance, Dean Whalen absolutely demolished the competition in our ’80s music trivia segment. It turns out Dean once won Super Bowl tickets on national television by answering trivia about Janet Jackson (an expertise he gained while his friends were out partying).
From The Go-Go’s to Whitney Houston and Don Henley, Dean went 5-for-6, leaving John Skelton—who pleaded for 70s rock—in the dust. While John may have lost the trivia battle, he’s looking for redemption on the golf course in Florida next week.
Ready to see the future of court reporting? Explore Readback today. Be sure to visit Legal Broadcasting Company often for our latest podcasts. If your law firm needs a “perfect reset,” contact Red Cave Law Firm Consulting.
No, Readback is the official record. It provides a certified transcript managed by a “Guardian” who ensures all jurisdictional requirements—like swearing in witnesses via notary—are met.
As John Skelton noted, AI can summarize hundreds of cases cited by opposing counsel or generate hearing outlines that anticipate questions from a judge based on the provided briefing.
We are reaching a point where “technological competency” is a minimum requirement. Clients expect efficiency, and failing to use tools that provide real-time accuracy and cost-savings could soon be viewed as a breach of that obligation.
