TechInLaw LegalTech Seminar - "AI and the Future of the Practice of Law Revisited"

“AI and the Future of the Practice of Law Revisited” 
September 25, 2025 @ 2:40 PM – 4:00 PM

In-Person Seminar Only
Karen J. Williams Courtroom. USC Rice School of Law
One Hour SC MCLE Credit 257269

Artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the legal industry by storm — and is a rapidly evolving technology that holds immense potential for transforming various aspects of our lives. AI has the power to revolutionize the legal profession and drive innovation. However, as we embark on this exciting journey, it is crucial to emphasize responsible AI development and deployment. Join us to gain a better understanding of how to approach AI with a responsible mindset and how to best harness its capabilities.

Two years ago,  we conducted this very same seminar.   Join us again for an engaging panel discussion featuring renowned experts and early adopters of AI technology who will share their firsthand experiences, success stories, and challenges encountered while working with AI and integrating AI into their organizations, as well as what has happened in the two years since we had the first seminar panel.  From machine learning to natural language processing, we will explore cutting-edge AI applications, exploring how they are revolutionizing sectors such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and, of course, legal. Don't miss this opportunity to engage with thought leaders at the forefront of AI innovation and explore the endless possibilities this technology holds.

Faculty 

•    Moderator – Kevin Brown,  Mitchell Willoughby Professor of Law, University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law
•    John Motz, Chief Technology Officer, NetDocuments
•    Bryant Walker Smith, Associate Professor of Law, University of South Carolina Joseph F. Rice School of Law

Faculty Bios

Kevin Brown  - Professor Kevin Brown joined the faculty of the University of South Carolina School of Law on June 1, 2022.  Before that, he had been on the faculty of Indiana University Maurer School of Law since 1987.  In 1978, Brown graduated with distinction from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, where he majored in Accounting.  Brown graduated from Yale Law School in 1982.  After graduation, he joined the Indianapolis law firm of Baker & Daniels (now Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP) until 1987.  

He teaches Torts, Law and Education, Race & Law, and Transnational Inequality on a regular basis but has also taught Law & Education, Criminal Law, Sports Law and Law & Development.  Brown has been a visiting professor at the University of Texas School of Law, the University of Alabama School of Law, and the University of San Diego School of Law.  He has been affiliated with universities on four different continents including the National Law School of India University in Bangalore, India; the Indian Law Institute in New Delhi, India; the law faculty of the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa; the law faculty of the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa; Adilet Law School in Almaty, Kazakhstan; the University of Central America in Managua, Nicaragua; and the School of Transnational Law of Peking University in Shenzhen. Brown also spent the spring semester of 2014 teaching in the London Law School Consortium Program.

Brown was an original participant in both the first Critical Race Theory Workshop held in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1989 (as well as the next four annual workshops) and the first People of Color Conference held in Chicago in 1991.  For over 35 years, his primary research interests are in the areas of race, law, and education, and the global impact of the African-American struggle.  Brown has published over 80 articles or comments on issues such as critical race theory, school desegregation, affirmative action, African-American Immersion Schools, increasing school choice, the impact of the African-Americans on the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, and the inspiration the 250 million Dalits in India have drawn from African-Americans.  Carolina Academic Press published his 2005 book, Race, Law and Education in the Post Desegregation Era, and his 2014 book, Because of Our Success:  The Changing Racial and Ethnic Ancestry of Blacks on Affirmative Action.  His chapter, entitled "The History and Conceptual Elements of Critical Race Theory," is the first chapter in the Handbook of Critical Race Theory in Education.  

A frequent speaker at scholarly conferences, Brown has spoken on issues of race, education, diversity, or the global impact of African-Americans over 300 times including at the annual Convention of the NAACP, the Congressional Black Caucus Braintrust Meetings, the National Bar Association, the National Summit of Black Women Lawyers, the American Bar Association,  the Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court, and the High Commission of India in London; at several leading law schools and universities including Harvard, Columbia, NYU, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Duke, Cornell, Emory, Northwestern, UCLA, and Texas; and several overseas institutions including at Oxford University, the University of Mumbai, University of Kasel, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Al-Quds University outside Jerusalem, Jindal Global Law School, and the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London.

John Motz – John Motz is the Chief Technology Officer for NetDocuments.  He is a technology-savvy leader with over twenty-five years’ experience in SMB and Enterprise SaaS software, utilizing creativity, facilitative leadership, and teamwork to design strategies and execute solutions that create products and services customers love.  Motz is an effective communicator with the ability to create visions that inspire employees, conveying value for customers and shareholders. He has experience managing global product development teams and collaborating with large local field sales teams and global channel sales organizations.

Prior to joining NetDocuments, Motz was SVP of Mindbody Software, which develops wellness software. He has also been CTO of GrayMeta Inc., vice president of product at ADP, and product and development leader at Intuit.

Motz recently co-authored a guest post with Dan Hauck. Chief product officer at NetDocuments, on Legal IT Insider “ Guest post: Moving fast but responsibly – A briefing from NetDocuments on the promise and pitfalls of generative AI”.  

Bryant Walker Smith - Bryant Walker Smith is an associate professor in the School of Law and (by courtesy) the School of Engineering at the University of South Carolina, as well as an affiliate scholar at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School.

Trained as a lawyer and an engineer, Smith advises cities, states, countries, and the United Nations on emerging transport technologies. He coauthored the globally influential levels of driving automation, drafted a model law for automated driving, and taught the first legal course dedicated to automated driving [pdf] (in 2012). Smith is currently writing on what it means for a company to be trustworthy. His publications are available at newlypossible.org.

Before joining the University of South Carolina, Smith led the legal aspects of the automated driving program at Stanford University, clerked for the Hon. Evan J. Wallach at the United States Court of International Trade, and worked as a fellow at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He holds both an LL.M. in International Legal Studies and a J.D. (cum laude) from New York University School of Law and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. Prior to his legal career, Smith worked as a transportation engineer.