Episode 012 – AI CLEs, Flintstones Lawyers & the Problem With Legal AI Training

I recently participated in a live AI panel at the Maryland Bankruptcy Bar Association Spring Break Weekend — one of the major annual CLE and networking events for Maryland bankruptcy lawyers.The panel featured retired federal judge Paul Grimm as moderator, along with Patti Jefferson, Nancy Rapoport, and Ron Drescher. But this episode is not simply a replay or recap of the panel.Instead, we use the experience to explore a much bigger question:Is the legal profession actually teaching AI effectively?In this episode:Why AI CLE panels may struggle to teach lawyers at vastly different technology levelsThe continuing evolution of the Flintstones / Simpsons / Jetsons frameworkWhy some lawyers may never need to become “Jetsons-level” AI usersPatti Jefferson’s live AI demonstration using the Red Lobster bankruptcy confirmation orderThe rise of agents and workflow automation beyond traditional promptingNancy Rapoport’s warnings about hallucinations, supervision, and professional responsibilityWhy “hallucination verification” may erase much of AI’s promised time savingsA comparison between AI hallucinations in law versus medicineWhy many firms remain stuck at “sub-Flintstones” technology levelsHow to identify the pain points inside your law firm before adopting AIWhy your firm should conduct a “Tech Stack Audit”We also discuss:Dropbox and document organization for high-volume bankruptcy practicesThe growing divide between consumer AI and enterprise AIWhy “ChatGPT” is no longer a meaningful description without understanding the underlying plan and governance structureThe importance of the “Three-Legged Stool” for safe legal AI deployment:Vendor protectionsProper configurationHuman supervisionDownload: Tech Stack Audit SpreadsheetThis episode includes a downloadable spreadsheet template designed to help lawyers:identify all software subscriptions,calculate monthly and annual costs,evaluate what they are actually getting from their tech stack,and determine where they fall on the Flintstones / Simpsons / Jetsons spectrum.If you complete the spreadsheet and would like us to discuss it anonymously (or publicly) on a future episode, send it to:[email protected]’d love to see how lawyers are actually building — or struggling to build — their AI and technology infrastructure.Mentioned in This EpisodeChatGPTClaudeGeminiHarveyIvoryMindGoogle WorkspaceDropboxClioFoundation AIKey TakeawayMost legal AI education still treats lawyers as if they are all at the same level of technological fluency.But Flintstones lawyers, Simpsons lawyers, and Jetsons lawyers may not even be attending the same CLE — even if they are sitting in the same ballroom.