What does it take to build a good AI-native law firm when the goal is not just efficiency, but giving lawyers more leverage, more agency, and more space for the human judgement at the heart of legal work?

In this episode of AI Sidebar, Irene Liu talks with Ryan Daniels, co-founder and CEO of Crosby AI and a Stanford Law School alum, about what he’s learned building an AI-native law firm focused on commercial contracts. Daniels explains what “AI-native” means in practice, how Crosby differs from both a traditional law firm and a legal tech company, and why it remains, at its core, a law firm. Irene and Ryan also explore how AI can take on repetitive legal work, reshape the law firm business model, and make this an especially exciting time for lawyers who want to innovate.

Learn more about the Stanford Law School AI Initiative

Irene Liu, Executive Director of the Stanford Law School AI Initiative

Connect with Ryan Daniels

Learn more about Crosby

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

(00:00:53) What Is an AI-Native Law Firm?

(00:02:39) Why Build a Law Firm Instead of Legal Tech?

(00:03:33) Why Commercial Contracts?

(00:04:54) Pricing by Deal, Not by Hour

(00:06:34) Measuring Human Review Time

(00:07:46) Designing AI Around Lawyers

(00:10:44) Keeping Lawyers in Control

(00:12:22) Building Empathy Between Engineers and Lawyers

(00:14:53) Lawyers, Engineers, and the Identity of an AI-Native Firm

(00:16:31) Finding Lawyers for a New Model

(00:18:15) Why Great Lawyers May Become More Valuable

(00:19:50) Why Clients Try Crosby

(00:20:53) The Future of AI-Native Law Firms

(00:21:37) Defining Quality in Legal AI

(00:22:30) Why This Is an Exciting Time to Build

(00:23:18) Advice for Lawyers and Law Students

(00:25:05) Conclusion

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