Questioning Everything We Think We Know About AI in Law ft. Daniel Schwarcz

June 4, 2026 Joe Stephens

Legal Technology Legal AI Legal Industry Trends

The impact of AI on law has been studied through the narrow lens of productivity and profitability. But the reality is much broader than that.

In this episode of Between the Briefs, Adrian Cea and Joe Stephens welcome back Daniel Schwarcz, Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School to discuss groundbreaking empirical research on how AI impacts lawyer performance, legal reasoning and long-term professional development.

What You’ll Learn:

How to move beyond benchmarking studies to measure what actually matters
Why reasoning models and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) platforms deliver measurable improvements
The counterintuitive finding that using AI for research strengthens independent legal reasoning when AI is unavailable
How litigation work benefits more measurably from current AI tools than transactional work
The critical distinction between confidentiality risks and genuine professional concerns
Why high-valuation legal tech firms like Harvey and Legora face competitive pressure from accessible alternatives

This episode challenges everything we think we know about AI’s cognitive impact on lawyers and their practice.

Want to watch this episode of Between the Briefs instead? Get the full video on YouTube.

About the Contributors

Joe Stephens

Joe Stephens, J.D., is Steno's Director of Legal Solutions as well as a Clinical Lecturer at Texas Tech University School of Law. With over 15 years of experience in criminal defense and public service, he founded and led Texas' largest rural public defender office, which serves a 12-county area. A graduate of The University of Texas School of Law (cum laude) and Vanderbilt University (B.A.), Stephens currently serves as a Board Member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer's Association (TCDLA) and sits on multiple State Bar of Texas committees. His expertise spans the intersection of legal practice and technological innovation in the justice system.

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Adrian Cea

Adrian Cea is Steno's Social Media Manager, leading content strategy, audience engagement, and digital brand-building across platforms. He also produces and co-hosts Between the Briefs, Steno's podcast covering the intersection of legal technology, court reporting, and the future of litigation. With a background spanning content creation, field marketing, and sales at companies like Sell Better and Chili Piper, Adrian brings a multi-disciplined lens to making complex legal tech topics accessible and engaging.

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