Inside Michael Best’s Strategy for AI and Legal Innovation

AI is reshaping the legal industry, pushing firms to rethink leadership, innovation, and the traditional billable hour. As technology accelerates, law firms face a defining question. Will they simply adopt new tools, or transform how legal services are delivered?

In this episode of Studio A, Will Ayers sits down with Jason Schultz, CIO at Michael Best, to explore what real transformation looks like inside a modern law firm. Jason explains how his team approaches innovation as a long-term strategy and why building capability across people, process, and technology matters more than chasing the latest AI tools.

He also discusses how Michael Best is institutionalizing innovation through structured programs, cross-functional collaboration, and an AI center of excellence. From improving financial visibility across the work-to-cash cycle to managing the cultural side of change, Jason shares what it takes to turn technology investments into meaningful outcomes.

Join Jason as he shares his perspective on trustworthy AI, leadership during rapid change, and why the future of law firms will belong to those willing to rethink their business model and how they deliver value to clients.

Highlights:

AI and the Billable Hour: Rethinking the Economics of Legal Services
Institutionalizing Innovation: Building Long-Term Capability Inside Law Firms
Trustworthy AI: Governance, Transparency, and Responsible Adoption

Jump into the conversation:
(00:00) Introducing Jason Schultz
(00:46) The Future of the Billable Hour in the Age of AI
(02:09) Leading Innovation and Technology at Michael Best
(04:04) What Leadership Looks Like During Industry Transformation
(08:20) The Difference Between Adopting Tools and Building Capability
(13:27) Balancing AI Urgency with Operational Discipline
(16:20) Why Data Foundations Matter for Legal Innovation
(17:01) Modernizing the Work to Cash Cycle
(19:44) Improving Financial Visibility Across the Firm
(22:02) Data Driven Decision Making and Firm Investments
(23:03) Building an AI Center of Excellence
(26:00) Surface Automation Versus Embedded Intelligence
(28:42) Trustworthy AI and Governance in Law Firms
(32:01) Where AI Augments Lawyers and Where Humans Lead
(35:00) Leading Change in a Traditionally Slow-Moving Industry
(37:40) Preventing Innovation Fatigue
(40:02) Signals That Transformation Is Working
(43:03) The Future of Law Firms in the AI Era
(49:01) Closing Thoughts and Key

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