The Legal Innovation Ambassador: Brittany Hernandez

Hey there Legal Rebels! 👋This is the twelfth episode of the 2024 season of the LawDroid Manifesto podcast, where I will be interviewing key legal innovators to learn how they do what they do.If you want to be inspired by a trailblazer who's combining creativity, empathy, and diverse life experiences to drive legal innovation, you need to listen to this episode. Brittany Hernandez, head of legal innovation at Gavel, is at the forefront of transforming the legal industry and has a unique story and perspective that will captivate you.LawDroid Manifesto is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Harnessing Creativity and Empathy to Drive Legal Innovation with Brittany HernandezJoin me as I interview Brittany Hernandez, head of legal innovation at Gavel, to explore her remarkable journey from aspiring FBI agent to becoming a driving force in the legal technology industry. Brittany's story is one of determination, adaptability, and a unwavering commitment to making legal services accessible to all.From her time in law school and the military, to her experience in film school, Brittany shares how each step of her journey has contributed to her unique perspective on the future of law. She emphasizes the importance of showcasing real-world examples of lawyers leveraging technology to transform their practices and improve their quality of life.Throughout our conversation, Brittany underscores the critical role of empathy, including financial empathy, in understanding clients' needs and developing innovative legal solutions. Her insights serve as a valuable guide for aspiring legal professionals, encouraging them to remain open to opportunities, engage with the industry, and focus on building a fulfilling life and career.Tune into this thought-provoking discussion on the power of creativity and empathy in driving legal innovation, and discover how Brittany Hernandez is working to make the law accessible to everyone through her groundbreaking work at Gavel.The SkinnyIn this episode of LawDroid Manifesto, Tom Martin interviews Brittany Hernandez, head of legal innovation at Gavel. Brittany shares her fascinating journey from aspiring FBI agent to lawyer, military veteran, film school graduate, and now a leader in the legal technology industry. Throughout the conversation, Brittany emphasizes the importance of creativity, empathy, and embracing diverse life experiences to drive innovation in the legal profession.Key Takeaways:* Brittany's diverse background, including law school, military service, and film school, has shaped her unique perspective on legal innovation.* Setting concrete goals and working diligently towards them, while remaining open to new paths, has been crucial to Brittany's success.* Brittany emphasizes the importance of showcasing real-life examples of lawyers leveraging legal technology to improve their practices and lifestyles.* Empathy, including financial empathy, is key to understanding clients' needs and developing accessible legal solutions.* Aspiring legal professionals should focus on the life they want to lead and work backwards, seeking out free or low-cost opportunities to engage with the industry and explore different paths.Notable Quotes:* [00:01:00] "She is a force of nature, really. She's involved in legal innovation at all levels and has a really, really interesting background that's brought her here." - Tom Martin introducing Brittany Hernandez* [00:02:00] "My mom is an artist. My dad and my mom had a comic book back in the nineties called fender. So I've been around my, all my brothers are artists around artists." - Brittany Hernandez on her creative family background* [00:07:00] "For about 10 years, my goal was to be in the FBI. And every action that I took was in order to achieve that result." - Brittany on her initial career aspirations* [00:11:00] "There are real life and death scenarios, and then there's everything else. And so everything else, you don't have to worry about it as much, like, it will be okay." - Brittany on perspective gained from military service* [00:20:00] "I ended up doing my dissertation and my master's degree on how we can use legal technology to help film students and early career filmmakers get access to legal services fast and free while still paying lawyers at a competitive rate." - Brittany on combining her interests in law and film* [00:31:00] "Your job is to inspire lawyers about what's possible in this shifting legal industry. That's it." - Brittany quoting her job description at Gavel* [00:40:00] "I think we can find creative ways to use automation while still having high touch feelings of personalization." - Brittany on balancing automation and client relationships* [00:46:00] "Start with what you want your life to look like and work backwards instead of what job do you want to have." - Brittany's advice for law students and new lawyers* [00:48:00] "The vision is to make law accessible universally for the clients. And doing that by helping lawyers understand how they can increase efficiency so they can reduce costs and overhead." - Brittany on Gavel's missionBrittany Hernandez's inspiring story highlights the value of combining creativity, empathy, and diverse experiences to drive innovation in the legal industry. As head of legal innovation at Gavel, Brittany is committed to helping lawyers leverage technology to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and make legal services more accessible. Her advice to aspiring legal professionals is to be open to opportunities, engage with the industry, and focus on building a fulfilling life and career.Need Your FeedbackPlease share your thoughts. Did you enjoy it? Not so much? What other guests or topics would you like to hear about? Tell me in the comments!By the way, if you’d like to learn more about how how AI works and how it will impact the legal profession, you should apply to LawDroid University!My NEW 5-part webinar series, Generative AI for Lawyers: Empowering Solos and Small Law Firms, is now available at LawDroid University.LawDroid University is available for free for everyone to use.* Free to use - It's 100% free educational content for everyone, just sign up below.* Insightful - Get educated about the intersection of artificial intelligence and the law as taught by experts.* Value Packed - Filled with videos, summaries, key takeaways, quotable quotes, transcripts and more! Find sessions on AI and the State of the Art, Ethics, Access to Justice, Practice of Law, Education, and the Business of Law.* AI Q&A - Ask a chatbot questions about the content and get fully informed answers immediately.👉 To immerse yourself in this enriching educational voyage, learn more, or sign up, please visit https://lawdroid.com/subscriptions/lawdroid-university/. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lawdroidmanifesto.com/subscribe