General Counsel at Malbek | Helping Legal Teams Navigate AI & Legal Tech | Author of Code Switched & The Legal Tech Ecosystem | Fastcase 50 Honoree
Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States
59K followers
500+ connections
About
I’m Colin S. Levy, General Counsel at Malbek, an adjunct professor at Albany Law School, and a longtime writer on legal technology. My work includes a column for Today’s General Counsel, occasional articles for other legal publications, and books on AI, legal technology, and contract management.
My newest book, Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI, comes out this October. It is written to help legal professionals understand and work through the practical issues AI raises.
As General Counsel at Malbek, I lead the legal function for a company that develops contract lifecycle management software. My work with AI has two parts: the contracts I negotiate and the product we build. I draft contract terms addressing AI for vendor and customer agreements, including data use, liability, and audit rights. I also work with our CEO and COO on company strategy and the AI features in our product.
I work with legal departments and law firms deciding how to use AI responsibly, address it in contracts, assess tools, and explain practical choices within their organizations. I also advise legal technology companies refining their products and communications. I focus on finding the signals amid the constant noise and hype.
Outside Malbek, I teach, write, and speak about AI and legal technology. I enjoy helping lawyers and legal teams learn through clear explanations, practical examples, and hands-on experience with the tools affecting their work:
Author of the forthcoming Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI, The Legal Tech Ecosystem, and co-author of CLM for Dummies. Editor of the Handbook of Legal Tech.
-Fastcase 50 honoree and CLOC Board Member.
-Adjunct Professor at Albany Law School teaching Technology and Law Practice Management and Introduction to AI, introductory courses that include hands-on work using tools lawyers encounter in practice.
-Columnist for Today’s General Counsel and a regular speaker at legal and technology conferences, podcasts, and webinars.
-Strategic Advisor at CounselGuard (an AI Governance company) and advisor to several other legal technology companies working on AI. I bring more than a decade of in-house experience across IP, contracts, data privacy, intellectual property, and SaaS.
If you are working through legal technology strategy, AI in legal practice, a speaking engagement, teaching, or a collaboration, please reach out. I welcome conversations about practical legal and technology questions.
Articles by Colin S.
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59K followers
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Colin S. Levy posted thisMental health is not something to be taken lightly or to be ignored. While, perhaps at first not as physically damaging as other parts of your health, the damage can be and often is significant and incredibly hard to overcome even if its damage doesn't show up, immediately or ever, in physical form. I've written about my struggles on here before and recently not to garner praise, pity, or sympathy. I've written about my struggles to show to others that writing about it, sharing your struggles, asking for help are all things not to shy away from, but are important. One should not struggle alone in silence. You are not alone. If you need help, as I have needed at times, seek it out. Sooner rather than later. I’m Colin, General Counsel of Malbek CLM for the Enterprise, Adjunct Professor of Law, and author of Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI. #MentalHealth #Health #LegalTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Law
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Colin S. Levy shared thisI've written quite a bit this year. Writing for me is a hobby I've long maintained and long enjoyed. I've put together a brief overview to the books and guides I've written to help you find the right resource you are looking for. My passion is to help others learn, grow, and to be inspired. I’m Colin, General Counsel of Malbek CLM for the Enterprise, Adjunct Professor of Law, and author of Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI. #LegalTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Law #Innovation #LegalIndustry
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Colin S. Levy shared thisI’ve led webinars, seminars, and CLE programs to help lawyers understand AI. I’ve also consulted on adoption and shared a guide to building an AI training program based on that experience. I teach legal technology at Albany Law School and serve as General Counsel at Malbek. For a law firm, I’d start by asking lawyers how they handle the work now. Even within one practice group, people may review the same kind of agreement differently. Their answers should shape the exercises and what counts as a useful result. Lawyers also need clear answers about the tools: what a model does, how ChatGPT differs from the firm’s approved product, what that product can access, and which client documents may go into it. Then I’d give them a familiar task and focus on what happens when a lawyer checks the tool’s answer. Give a contracts team a sample master services agreement with an attached statement of work. Ask the firm’s approved tool to identify the client’s termination rights, then have a lawyer check its answer against both documents. Suppose the tool finds the rights in the main agreement but misses the client’s right to end the pilot on 30 days’ notice in the statement of work. Why did the answer appear complete? How long did it take to find the missing clause? Did the tool still save time once the lawyer had checked it? Give lawyers guidance they can use at their desks, someone to ask when they’re unsure, and a way to report errors. Use those reports to choose examples for the next session. Partners should see the full results, including the time spent checking and correcting answers. That gives the firm a basis for deciding where the tool is useful and what to teach next. If your firm or legal department wants a training program built around its own work, I can help. I’m Colin, General Counsel of Malbek CLM for the Enterprise, Adjunct Professor of Law, and author of Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI. #LegalTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Law #Innovation #LegalIndustry
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Colin S. Levy reposted thisThere is a lot of noise around AI in law right now. Every week brings another tool, another prediction, and another term that lawyers are apparently expected to understand. If you are not sure what is useful, what is risky, or even what questions to ask, that is a reasonable reaction. If you have a question on one of those times, feel free to send it my way. It can be basic or half-formed. Maybe your team is considering a tool and you do not know what to ask the vendor. Maybe you are worried about confidentiality. Maybe you tried something and it was not especially useful. Maybe you are a law student trying to understand what any of this means for the work lawyers actually do. I may have an answer. I may know a useful resource or someone who has dealt with the same issue. Or I may not know, in which case I will say so. A good place to begin is the work itself. What are you trying to make easier or better? What information are you putting into the system? How will you check the result? What happens when it gets something wrong? AI can be genuinely useful. It can also be unreliable, inappropriate for a particular task, or simply unnecessary. The difficult part is often telling the difference. If there is a question you have been reluctant to ask, send it along. I may be able to respond to every question, but I will try to. I may not have the answer, but if I can help you find it, I will. I'm here to help. #LegalTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Law #Innovation #LegalIndustry
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Colin S. Levy reposted thisUsing a generative AI tool to review a complex contract made both the value and the limits of the technology clear to me. It identified several interactions between clauses in minutes, but the legal judgment remained mine: deciding what mattered, checking the analysis, and understanding the consequences. That experience helped shape Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI. I wrote the book to help law students and lawyers find their bearings in the world of AI without requiring a technical background. It explains how the technology works in plain language, then shows how it can affect research, contract review, drafting, and client service. It also deals directly with hallucinations, confidentiality, billing, professional responsibility, and choosing appropriate tools. Readers will find practical prompts, verification methods, and a framework for deciding whether AI is suitable for a particular matter. The bottom line is that AI does not belong in every legal task. Legal professionals need enough understanding to make deliberate choices about its use, and they must remain accountable for the result. My book aims to help with just that. I’m Colin, General Counsel of Malbek CLM for the Enterprise, Adjunct Professor of Law, and author of Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI. PS: Preorder now and get the book at an early bird price! #LegalTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Law #Innovation #LegalIndustry
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Colin S. Levy posted thisThis has been a trying week for me. At times, I haven’t felt good about myself. I’m sharing that because mental health struggles are part of life for more people than we may realize. It’s okay to talk about them, and it’s healthy to seek support. I’m not a therapist or a mental health counselor, but I can listen. If you need someone to hear you out, please reach out to someone you trust. If I can be that person for you, I’m here. And if someone in your life seems to be struggling, check in. Listen, offer support, and give them room to tell you what they need. There’s only one of you. Take care of yourself. I’m Colin, General Counsel of Malbek CLM for the Enterprise, Adjunct Professor of Law, and author of Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI. #LegalTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Law #Innovation #LegalIndustry
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Colin S. Levy shared thisOne thing I frequently get asked about and love talking about is how to train lawyers on the use of AI and the evaluation of AI tools. I researched this topic and put together a brief guide that outlines my current thinking on this topic. I'd love to hear what you think and what your experience has been if you have been engaged in this work yourself. I’m Colin, General Counsel of Malbek CLM for the Enterprise, Adjunct Professor of Law, and author of Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI. #LegalTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Law #Innovation #LegalIndustry
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Colin S. Levy shared thisUsing a generative AI tool to review a complex contract made both the value and the limits of the technology clear to me. It identified several interactions between clauses in minutes, but the legal judgment remained mine: deciding what mattered, checking the analysis, and understanding the consequences. That experience helped shape Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI. I wrote the book to help law students and lawyers find their bearings in the world of AI without requiring a technical background. It explains how the technology works in plain language, then shows how it can affect research, contract review, drafting, and client service. It also deals directly with hallucinations, confidentiality, billing, professional responsibility, and choosing appropriate tools. Readers will find practical prompts, verification methods, and a framework for deciding whether AI is suitable for a particular matter. The bottom line is that AI does not belong in every legal task. Legal professionals need enough understanding to make deliberate choices about its use, and they must remain accountable for the result. My book aims to help with just that. I’m Colin, General Counsel of Malbek CLM for the Enterprise, Adjunct Professor of Law, and author of Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI. PS: Preorder now and get the book at an early bird price! #LegalTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Law #Innovation #LegalIndustry
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Colin S. Levy posted thisWhen I graduated, I had no idea my career would take me from in-house law into legal tech. People made time for me while I was figuring things out. They talked honestly about their work and helped me see options I hadn’t considered. I’d like to return the favor. Are you in law school and wondering what a career in law could look like beyond the paths you hear about most? Are you a lawyer thinking about moving in-house or getting into legal tech? Send me a note about where you are and what you’re trying to decide. I’m happy to share what I’ve learned and talk it through with you. Those conversations helped me. I’d be glad to have one with you. I’m Colin, General Counsel of Malbek CLM for the Enterprise, Adjunct Professor of Law, and author of Code Switched: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Era of AI. #LegalTech #ArtificialIntelligence #Law #Innovation #LegalIndustry
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Colin S. Levy liked thisColin S. Levy liked thisUniversity of Oxford = AI law certification in the land of Harry Potter— what an amazing experience l! While I am taking the new knowledge on AI law with me, I am leaving a little piece of my heart here at Oxford. Thank you Faculty of Law, University of Oxford.
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Colin S. Levy liked thisColin S. Levy liked thisClio today further expanded its new push into the judiciary with the acquisition of Learned Hand, a startup that has built an AI platform exclusively for judges and courts. This adds to Clio's recent hires of Pablo Arredondo and Bridget Mary McCormack and gives the new judiciary business a solid product it can build from.Clio Acquires Learned Hand, Giving Its New Judiciary Business An Existing ProductClio Acquires Learned Hand, Giving Its New Judiciary Business An Existing Product
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Colin S. Levy liked thisColin S. Levy liked thisHonored to join Shannon Vallor, Geoffrey Hinton, and Richard Sutton as inaugural members of the Schwartz Reisman Institute’s new Scientific Advisory Committee. https://lnkd.in/gyRzmNVdSRI announces new Advisory Board and inaugural Scientific Advisory Committee — Schwartz Reisman InstituteSRI announces new Advisory Board and inaugural Scientific Advisory Committee — Schwartz Reisman Institute
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Colin S. Levy liked thisColin S. Levy liked thisVery happy to be Washington University in St. Louis School of Law for legal tech week, where I’ll be on a panel to discuss how law professors can and should use AI in their work. I will then give a separate faculty workshop on my article, The Limits of Regulating AI Safety Through Liability and Insurance, which is forthcoming in the Fordham Law Review and co-authored with the fabulous Josephine Wolff. https://lnkd.in/gZ3hfzye
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Colin S. Levy liked thisColin S. Levy liked thisNext week I’ll be in Madrid, presenting my thoughts on what I call the “Why-First Law Firm,” a concept pulled from my new book, AI with Purpose: A Strategic Blueprint for Legal Transformation, published by Globe Law and Business Ltd. Many thanks in advance to Global LegalTech Hub / GLTH for hosting!
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Colin S. Levy liked thisColin S. Levy liked thisWhen I went to law school, and when I was training as a lawyer, the focus was on getting it right. I'm increasingly convinced that isn't what matters most for new lawyers. I have been lucky enough to put this idea into practice at the University of Michigan Law School with professors Vivek Sankaran and Bridgette Carr who direct its AI Law and Policy Clinic. We are undergoing existential change in the legal industry, with a technology we still don't fully understand – not just its impact, but how it actually works. In that context, pretending you know the answer isn't going to help. In the AI Law and Policy Clinic, Josef partnered with 20 Michigan Law students, working in eight teams with courts, legal aid organizations, and nonprofits to build AI tools on Josef and other platforms. The students were given the space and time to try things out, fail, observe, play, and learn – the antithesis of what a normal legal education looks like. The outcomes speak for themselves: a multilingual toolkit helping parents facing detention delegate parental authority; a parenting time tool designed with the Kent County family court, after the students sat in on hearings; a guided guardianship form for the Genesee County Legal Resource Center. Vivek, Bridgette, and I wrote about what this means for legal education in The Legal Intelligencer: "Why Training the Next Generation of Lawyers Requires Play, Failure, and AI." Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gFaEKQcrWhy Training the Next Generation of Lawyers Requires Play, Failure, and AI | Law.comWhy Training the Next Generation of Lawyers Requires Play, Failure, and AI | Law.com
Experience
Education
Skills
Publications
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Handbook of Legal Tech
Globe Law and Business
See publicationTechnology is everywhere. Its presence is undeniable. The legal industry, steeped in history and tradition, is not immune to the changes brought about by technological advancement. No facet of the legal industry can escape or ignore the increasingly important role of technology in the practice of law. Yet, technology can overwhelm, confuse, or downright intimidate many.
By reading and using the insights shared in this title, learn how to reconcile technology's inescapable presence with…Technology is everywhere. Its presence is undeniable. The legal industry, steeped in history and tradition, is not immune to the changes brought about by technological advancement. No facet of the legal industry can escape or ignore the increasingly important role of technology in the practice of law. Yet, technology can overwhelm, confuse, or downright intimidate many.
By reading and using the insights shared in this title, learn how to reconcile technology's inescapable presence with the fear of the unknown it often brings about. Edited by Colin S. Levy, a well-known legal tech influencer and advocate, Handbook of Legal Tech provides guidance from many of the leading figures within the legal tech space on the different parts of law practice being enhanced and improved by technology. Each chapter covers a key area of legal tech, including automation, contract management, blockchain, use of artificial intelligence, and legal analytics, and contains first-hand insights into the development and adoption of legal technology and actionable data around best uses for different types of legal technologies. Legal ethics and the future of legal tech are also explored.
This book is aimed at lawyers both in-house and in private practice globally who have an interest in legal tech and wish to learn more about how it will impact and enhance their work. In this age driven by data and technology, ignoring technology is at your definitive peril. Get up to speed with this engaging and enlightening book on the intersection of the legal industry and the world of technology. -
The Legal Tech Ecosystem
Ramses House Publishing LLC;
See publicationThe legal landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, with the seismic shifts of recent years demanding a fresh perspective on the role of technology and innovation within the legal profession. The Legal Tech Ecosystem delves into this essential transformation, shedding light on the crucial interplay between law and technology in today’s complex world.
At its core, this book addresses the profound changes unfolding in the legal domain, driven by macro-economic forces. These changes…The legal landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, with the seismic shifts of recent years demanding a fresh perspective on the role of technology and innovation within the legal profession. The Legal Tech Ecosystem delves into this essential transformation, shedding light on the crucial interplay between law and technology in today’s complex world.
At its core, this book addresses the profound changes unfolding in the legal domain, driven by macro-economic forces. These changes have placed an ever-increasing burden on legal departments to accomplish more with fewer resources. A quartet of pillars—the explosive growth of regulations, the challenges posed by globalization, the convergence of risk dimensions, and the pressure on corporate profits—has created an environment where legal professionals must adapt swiftly to succeed. -
Embrace Multidisciplinarity to Improve Client Service
Penn Law's Future of the Profession Initiative
See publicationIt is said that law school teaches you how to “think like a lawyer.” This largely takes the form of being able to identify any number of risks and outcomes. Yet we are rarely asked in law school to identify what risks are acceptable and which outcomes are the most desirable. This does not reflect the real world where context is everything and one risk in one context can look very different in another context.
Projects
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Code Switched: A Lawyer's Guide to the Era of AI
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In Code Switched, Colin S. Levy, a general counsel, adjunct law professor, Fastcase 50 honoree, and author of The Legal Tech Ecosystem, delivers a practical, clear-eyed guide for lawyers ready to work differently. Drawing on his many years across law firms, in-house teams, and the legal technology industry, and featuring a foreword by Bjarne Tellmann, former General Counsel of Pearson plc, GSK Consumer Healthcare, and Haleon, the book covers AI’s impact on daily legal work, the economics and…
In Code Switched, Colin S. Levy, a general counsel, adjunct law professor, Fastcase 50 honoree, and author of The Legal Tech Ecosystem, delivers a practical, clear-eyed guide for lawyers ready to work differently. Drawing on his many years across law firms, in-house teams, and the legal technology industry, and featuring a foreword by Bjarne Tellmann, former General Counsel of Pearson plc, GSK Consumer Healthcare, and Haleon, the book covers AI’s impact on daily legal work, the economics and ethics of adoption, and how to get started without disrupting your practice.
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My Website
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My website brings together my books, writing, guides, teaching, and work on law, technology, and AI. It is where I try to make a noisy and fast-moving field clearer and more useful.
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The Legal Tech Ecosystem
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The Legal Tech Ecosystem is your practical guide through this transformation. Written by Colin S. Levy, a Fastcase 50 honoree and recognized legal technology leader, this book cuts through the noise to deliver actionable insights from the brightest minds in legal innovation.
Languages
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English
Native or bilingual proficiency
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Legalese
Full professional proficiency
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