Deeper Work, Not Faster Work: The AI Shift Law Firms Need to Make

In this episode of AI in Practice, Will Ayers sits down with Nicholas Wolter, Senior Director of Platform, Data and AI at Aderant, to break down what it actually takes to build an AI strategy that works for law firms.

Nicholas shares how Stridyn evolved into a second brain for firms, why data cleanliness is the foundation on which every AI investment depends, and why the biggest win from AI isn't speed but the freedom to do harder, deeper work.

Tune in to hear why the firms that get their data strategy right now are the ones that will be taking on more work that increases profitability over the next three to five years.

Highlights:

• Deeper Work, Not Just Faster Work: Why AI's biggest impact isn't speed, it's unlocking higher quality work that wasn't possible before
• Data Cleanliness as a Foundation: Why slop in means slop out and what firms need to get right before any AI investment can deliver impactful results
• Aderant's Value: A spicy take on what Aderant's value should be in a crowded AI tool landscape and why being home-based matters more than being the flashiest tool.

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Introducing Nicholas Wolter, Senior Director of Platform, Data and AI at Aderant
(01:18) How Stridyn evolved from an analytics tool into a firm's second brain
(02:53) What a unified platform makes possible for real-time intel
(04:50) Deeper work, not just faster work — what that looks like in practice
(06:20) Building AI systems that can evolve alongside fast-changing models
(07:34) The spicy take on what Aderant's role should be in the AI landscape