Imagine
a
time
when
legal
discovery
meant
sifting
through
thousands
of
paper
documents
in
a
dimly
lit
basement,
armed
with
nothing
more
than
a
highlighter
and
a
stack
of
Post-its.
Now,
picture
that
world
being
turned
upside
down
by
a
digital
revolution
that
would
forever
change
the
way
law
is
practiced.
Marla
Crawford,
general
counsel
at
Simplify,
was
not
just
a
witness
to
this
transformation;
she
was
a
key
player
in
it.
As
one
of
the
first
lawyers
to
specialize
in
e-discovery
during
the
landmark
Enron
case,
Marla
experienced
the
seismic
shift
from
manual
document
review
to
the
digital
age
of
legal
technology.
Her
journey
is
a
testament
to
the
power
of
embracing
change,
taking
risks,
and
leveraging
technology
to
stay
ahead
in
a
constantly
evolving
field.
From
the
early
days
of
e-discovery
to
the
current
wave
of
AI
innovation,
Marla
has
been
at
the
forefront,
shaping
and
adapting
to
every
new
development.
How
did
she
navigate
these
uncharted
waters,
and
what
can
her
experience
teach
us
about
the
future
of
legal
practice
in
the
age
of
technology?
Let’s
dive
into
Marla’s
story
to
explore
the
past,
present,
and
future
of
legal
technology.
From
Paper
To
Pixels:
The
Dawn
Of
E-Discovery
Marla’s
career
began
in
Biglaw
in
the
late
1980s,
a
time
when
legal
discovery
was
a
manual,
labor-intensive
process.
Lawyers
would
often
find
themselves
in
basement
rooms,
surrounded
by
towering
boxes
of
documents,
painstakingly
sifting
through
files
to
find
the
crucial
piece
of
evidence
that
could
make
or
break
a
case.
This
was
the
norm
until
the
late
1990s
when
the
Enron
scandal
erupted,
catapulting
e-discovery
into
the
spotlight.
“I
was
literally
in
the
room
when
we
built
the
first
systems
to
review
emails,”
Marla
recalls.
“We
had
to
innovate
on
the
fly,
using
technology
that
was
never
designed
for
legal
discovery,
to
handle
the
massive
amounts
of
data.”
This
experience
not
only
defined
her
career
but
also
positioned
her
as
a
pioneer
in
the
field
of
e-discovery.
The
Enron
case,
with
its
600,000
emails,
was
a
watershed
moment.
It
demonstrated
the
power
of
digital
tools
in
managing
data
that
would
have
been
impossible
to
handle
manually.
The
Challenges
And
Opportunities
Of
Being
First
Embracing
e-discovery
was
not
without
its
challenges.
“Many
of
my
peers
didn’t
see
the
potential
in
this
new
area,”
Marla
explains.
“They
viewed
it
as
grunt
work,
something
that
wasn’t
‘real’
law.”
However,
Marla
saw
it
differently.
She
recognized
early
on
that
technology
would
transform
the
legal
landscape,
creating
opportunities
for
those
willing
to
adapt.
Her
willingness
to
dive
into
the
less
glamorous
aspects
of
legal
work
—
like
sifting
through
data
—
ultimately
paid
off,
setting
her
apart
from
her
peers
and
positioning
her
as
a
leader
in
legal
tech.
For
Marla,
the
decision
to
specialize
in
e-discovery
was
partly
practical.
As
a
young
lawyer
and
a
mother,
she
found
that
focusing
on
this
emerging
area
allowed
her
to
balance
her
professional
and
personal
life
more
effectively.
Unlike
her
colleagues
who
traveled
frequently
for
trials,
Marla
could
remain
involved
in
high-profile
cases
without
leaving
the
office.
This
decision,
driven
by
both
career
strategy
and
lifestyle
needs,
turned
out
to
be
a
defining
move
that
aligned
with
the
technological
evolution
of
the
legal
field.
Navigating
The
Technological
Revolution:
The
Role
Of
Service
Providers
As
technology
became
more
integral
to
the
practice
of
law,
the
landscape
of
legal
services
began
to
change
dramatically.
Law
firms,
once
the
unchallenged
gatekeepers
of
legal
knowledge
and
expertise,
found
themselves
sharing
the
stage
with
a
new
set
of
players:
legal
service
providers.
These
companies
brought
with
them
a
range
of
professionals
—
from
technologists
and
data
scientists
to
business
strategists
—
whose
skills
were
increasingly
essential
to
managing
complex
legal
workflows.
“The
introduction
of
service
providers
into
the
legal
ecosystem
has
fundamentally
changed
the
profession,”
Marla
notes.
“We’re
no
longer
just
lawyers;
we’re
part
of
a
broader
team
that
includes
people
with
diverse
skills
and
backgrounds.
This
shift
has
made
the
practice
of
law
more
dynamic
and,
frankly,
more
exciting.”
However,
this
shift
also
brought
challenges.
Lawyers
had
to
learn
to
collaborate
with
nonlawyers,
including
technologists
who
spoke
a
different
language
and
approached
problems
from
different
angles.
This
was
not
always
an
easy
transition.
“There
was
a
lot
of
resistance
at
first,”
Marla
recalls.
“Many
lawyers
were
used
to
being
the
sole
experts
in
the
room,
and
suddenly
they
had
to
share
that
space
with
others
who
brought
different
expertise
to
the
table.”
Harnessing
The
Power
Of
Technology
In
Legal
Practice
Today,
Marla
continues
to
work
at
the
intersection
of
law
and
technology
as
the
general
counsel
of
Simplify,
a
leading
legal
technology
services
provider.
In
this
role,
she
wears
many
hats
—
not
only
providing
legal
advice
but
also
collaborating
closely
with
the
company’s
tech
development
teams
to
shape
products
that
better
serve
their
clients.
“What’s
exciting
about
being
at
Simplify
is
that
I
get
to
look
at
our
technology
from
a
user’s
perspective,”
Marla
explains.
“I
can
provide
feedback
on
what
would
have
been
useful
when
I
was
in-house,
and
help
develop
solutions
that
make
the
lives
of
legal
professionals
easier
and
more
efficient.”
This
dual
role
allows
Marla
to
bridge
the
gap
between
legal
practice
and
technological
innovation,
ensuring
that
the
tools
developed
are
truly
user-centric
and
effective.
Looking
Ahead:
The
Future
Of
Legal
Technology
And
Inclusion
Marla’s
career
reflects
a
broader
trend
in
the
legal
industry
toward
greater
integration
of
technology
and
the
diversification
of
skills
within
legal
teams.
As
artificial
intelligence
and
machine
learning
continue
to
advance,
the
legal
profession
is
poised
for
another
wave
of
transformation.
Marla
believes
that
embracing
these
changes
will
not
only
improve
efficiency
but
also
enhance
the
quality
of
legal
services
by
allowing
lawyers
to
focus
more
on
strategy
and
less
on
repetitive
tasks.
Moreover,
Marla
is
passionate
about
fostering
diversity
and
inclusion
within
the
legal
tech
space.
She
is
a
strong
advocate
for
initiatives
like
the
SPLASH
Pledge,
which
aims
to
combat
sexual
harassment
in
the
industry
and
create
safer,
more
inclusive
environments
for
all
professionals.
“It’s
crucial
that
we
make
the
legal
profession
more
welcoming
and
supportive,”
she
says.
“Diversity
isn’t
just
a
buzzword
—
it’s
about
bringing
different
perspectives
to
the
table,
which
ultimately
leads
to
better
outcomes
for
everyone.”
Embracing
Change
And
Leading
The
Way
Marla’s
story
is
a
powerful
reminder
of
the
importance
of
embracing
change
and
using
it
as
a
catalyst
for
growth.
Her
willingness
to
step
into
new
and
uncharted
territories
has
not
only
defined
her
career
but
has
also
helped
shape
the
evolution
of
legal
technology.
For
legal
professionals
at
all
stages
of
their
careers,
Marla’s
journey
offers
valuable
lessons:
stay
curious,
be
adaptable,
and
never
underestimate
the
value
of
being
the
first
to
step
into
a
new
space.
As
the
legal
field
continues
to
evolve,
those
who
are
willing
to
embrace
new
technologies
and
diverse
teams
will
be
best
positioned
to
lead.
Marla
Crawford’s
career
is
proof
that
the
intersection
of
law
and
technology
is
not
just
a
place
of
innovation,
but
also
one
of
opportunity
for
those
ready
to
seize
it.
Olga
V.
Mack
is
a
Fellow
at
CodeX,
The
Stanford
Center
for
Legal
Informatics,
and
a
Generative
AI
Editor
at
law.MIT.
Olga
embraces
legal
innovation
and
had
dedicated
her
career
to
improving
and
shaping
the
future
of
law.
She
is
convinced
that
the
legal
profession
will
emerge
even
stronger,
more
resilient,
and
more
inclusive
than
before
by
embracing
technology.
Olga
is
also
an
award-winning
general
counsel,
operations
professional,
startup
advisor,
public
speaker,
adjunct
professor,
and
entrepreneur.
She
authored Get
on
Board:
Earning
Your
Ticket
to
a
Corporate
Board
Seat, Fundamentals
of
Smart
Contract
Security,
and Blockchain
Value:
Transforming
Business
Models,
Society,
and
Communities. She
is
working
on
three
books:
Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers
(ABA
2024), The
Rise
of
Product
Lawyers:
An
Analytical
Framework
to
Systematically
Advise
Your
Clients
Throughout
the
Product
Lifecycle
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024),
and
Legal
Operations
in
the
Age
of
AI
and
Data
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024).
You
can
follow
Olga
on
LinkedIn
and
Twitter
@olgavmack.