The Skribe.ai Co-Founder: Karl Seelbach

Hey there Legal Rebels! 👋I’m excited to share with you the sixth episode of the 2025 season of the LawDroid Manifesto podcast, where I will be continuing to interview key legal innovators to learn how they do what they do. I think you’re going to enjoy this one!If you want to understand how AI and video technology are transforming legal testimony and why court reporting needs to evolve, you need to listen to this episode. Karl Seelbach is a practicing trial lawyer who saw firsthand the inefficiencies of traditional court reporting and created Skribe.ai to make legal testimony more accessible, efficient, and impactful.LawDroid Manifesto is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Revolutionizing Legal Testimony Through AI-Powered Court ReportingJoin me as I interview Karl Seelbach, a seasoned trial attorney and co-founder of Skribe.ai, who's transforming how legal professionals capture and analyze testimony.In this dynamic podcast episode, Karl shares his journey from personal injury defense attorney to legal tech innovator. He offers unique insights into how AI and video technology are revolutionizing depositions and court reporting, making them more efficient, accessible, and impactful. Karl details how his firsthand experience with hundreds of depositions led him to create a solution that cuts costs by 50% while delivering results in hours instead of weeks.His perspective as both a practicing lawyer and tech founder provides invaluable insights into the future of legal testimony and court reporting. This episode is essential viewing for attorneys and legal professionals interested in how technology is reshaping traditional legal processes, offering a glimpse into a future where video evidence and AI analytics become standard tools in litigation.The Skinny Karl Seelbach, co-founder of Skribe.ai and seasoned trial attorney, shares his journey from practicing law to revolutionizing the court reporting industry through technology. In this engaging conversation, Karl discusses how his experience with depositions led him to create an AI-powered solution that's transforming how legal professionals capture and analyze testimony. He offers valuable insights into the intersection of law, technology, and the future of legal practice.Key Takeaways* Karl's law firm grew from two people to a team of 27, including 15 attorneys and 12 paralegals, serving over 35 institutional clients including Fortune 500 companies* Skribe.ai offers two main products: Skribe Live for real-time testimony capture and Skribe Library for AI-powered analysis of audio/video evidence* The platform reduces court reporting costs by approximately 50% and delivers results within 1-2 hours instead of weeks* Traditional court reporting faces a supply-demand challenge with fewer stenographers entering the field while case volumes increase* The platform enables interactive legal documents with embedded video clips, making evidence more accessible and impactful for judges and clients* Karl emphasizes the importance of video evidence in modern litigation, noting that juries increasingly expect sophisticated multimedia presentations* Through AI integration, Skribe.ai can automatically generate video clips and summaries of testimony for use in trials and mediations* The venture taught valuable lessons about avoiding over-engineering initial products and the importance of getting customer feedback earlyNotable Quotes* "I could tell pretty quickly that the internet in particular was going to change a lot of things." Karl Seelbach (21:11-21:15)* "I think we're at a point where if you just take a step back and think about how the world consumes information today, it's video." Karl Seelbach (36:02-36:15)* "You have to have mentors. You have to have team members that you can lean on, that you can rely on. You can't do it all yourself. Trust me, I tried." Karl Seelbach (47:54-48:03)* "As much as you love legal tech and as much as I love legal tech, you know, it's not the number one priority in my life. The number one priority in my life is my family." Karl Seelbach (49:21-49:26)* "My mission really is to uncover the truth of what happened and find out what would a fair outcome be." Karl Seelbach (51:12-51:19)* "The quickest way to get to the truth is to take depositions. And I think attorneys sometimes hesitate and wait too long in a case before just noticing depositions." Karl Seelbach (51:51-52:03)* "I think making your work product more interactive and more persuasive is very important." Karl Seelbach (30:37-30:43)* "I think cases would move faster and the justice system would move faster if attorneys were just a little faster in taking testimony and taking depositions and moving on to the next thing in the case." Karl Seelbach (52:16-52:20)ClipsInteractive Legal Documents: A Vision for the FutureFirst encounters with technology: childhood memoriesExplaining Skribe and It’s Benefits The Need for Video Evidence in Legal Decision-MakingFrom Safety Net to Building a Law FirmAs legal technology continues to evolve, Karl envisions a future where virtual reality depositions might become commonplace and AI-powered analytics help inform litigation strategy. His experience demonstrates how technology can address practical challenges in the legal field while making justice more accessible and efficient. With a court reporter shortage and growing demand for legal services, solutions like Skribe.ai are positioned to play a crucial role in modernizing legal practice.Closing ThoughtsKarl Seelbach's story beautifully illustrates the transformative power of combining legal expertise with technological innovation. What stands out most is how his solution emerged organically from his own experiences as a trial lawyer, seeing firsthand the inefficiencies in court reporting and deposition processes.His journey with Skribe.ai demonstrates that meaningful innovation in legal tech doesn't just come from identifying problems – it comes from living them. Karl's dual perspective as both a practicing attorney and tech founder gives him unique insight into what lawyers actually need, rather than what technologists think they need.What's particularly compelling is Karl's vision of making legal proceedings more accessible and impactful through video integration and AI analysis. He's not just digitizing an old process; he's reimagining how we capture, analyze, and present legal testimony for the modern era. His emphasis on the human element – making testimony more engaging and understandable for judges, clients, and juries – shows a deep understanding of what really matters in litigation.The future of legal tech isn't just about efficiency; it's about enhancing our ability to seek truth and deliver justice. Karl and Skribe.ai are at the forefront of this transformation, showing us how technology can make legal proceedings more accessible, understanding, and ultimately more effective in serving justice.By the way, as a LawDroid Manifesto subscriber, I’d like to invite you to an exclusive event…What: LawDroid AI Conference 2025Day 1 - 7 panel sessions, including top speakers like Ed Walters, Carolyn Elefant, Bob Ambrogi, and Rob Hanna—they’re well familiar with how to harness AI as a force multiplier.Day 2 - It will also feature 3 hands-on workshops from AI experts and demos from over a dozen legal AI companies where you can discover the latest and greatest technology to get you ahead.Where: Online and FreeWhen: March 19-20, 2025, 8am to 5pm PTHow: Register Now!Click here to register for free and secure your spot. Space is limited. Don’t risk being left behind.Cheers,Tom MartinCEO, LawDroidP.S. Check out the Day 1 & Day 2 schedule—packed with panels, workshops, demos, and keynotes from the industry’s leading experts. 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