#553: AI Tools and Processes Every Lawyer Should Use with Catherine Sanders Reach

Catherine Sanders Reach, Director of the Center for Practice Management at the North Carolina Bar Association, joins Zack Glaser to answer pressing questions about integrating AI into legal operations. Catherine explains how to identify breakdowns in workflows, choose purpose-built AI tools, and calculate the return on investment for tech solutions like Microsoft Copilot. She also shares practical advice on automating tasks like document templates, client intake, and email management while emphasizing the importance of documenting processes for efficiency. This episode is packed with actionable insights for lawyers looking to streamline their practice with AI.

Hear Catherine’s other appearance on Lawyerist Podcast: 

• #444: Streamlining Legal Operations for Success, with Catherine Sanders Reach: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

Listen to our other episodes about artificial intelligence:

• #551: Becoming the AI Driven Leader, with Geoff Woods: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Lawyerist
• #550: Beyond Content: How AI is Changing Law Firm Marketing, with Gyi Tsakalakis and Conrad Saam: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Lawyerist
• #546: Unlock Law Firm Growth: AI Marketing Secrets with Karin Conroy: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Lawyerist

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Chapters / Timestamps: 

0:00 Introduction

6:17 Meet Catherine Sanders Reach

7:19 How to Kickstart Generative AI Processes

10:53 Microsoft Copilot 

13:00 AI Tools Lawyers Should Consider Using

14:36 Agentic AI

20:14 Why You Need a Needs Assessment 

23:49 Evaluating Productivity

27:11 Let Go of Perfectionism 

28:44 Image Generation

31:46 Why You Need Policies and Systems

35:38 Dictation Tools

38:22 The AI Tool to Watch