Jan Baran speaks with Artificial Intelligence (AI) legal expert. lawyer and teacher, Oliver Roberts, to speak about AI, its birth, its forms, and how people have historically used and are currently using the ever-changing technology. They discuss further about how AI has changed the way lawyers practice, how the courts are using it, what questions clients are asking in RFPs related to technology, and why the big law firms are investing in AI.

There are plenty of upsides to using AI; but what is “AI hallucination?” Old school legal tech companies are incorporating advanced AI and new AI legal products are being promoted throughout the industry; however, any information collected through AI still requires lawyers and others to check for any false or misleading information. Spoiler Alert: Using AI may be quicker a way to research or write initially, but the AI hallucination rate can be high.

Oliver also discusses recent attempts to regulate AI, including an effort at the Federal Election Commission.

About Oliver Roberts

Oliver Roberts is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and Co-Director of the WashU Law AI Collaborative. He is also Co-Head of the AI Practice Group at Holtzman Vogel law firm, Editor-in-Chief of the AI & the Law publication at The National Law Review, and the Founder and CEO of Wickard.ai.

Oliver regularly lectures on AI at law schools throughout the United States and internationally. His recent teaching includes the course “AI & the Practice of Law” at WashU Law, the nation’s first required AI law school course at Case Western Reserve School of Law, and the first legal AI education program at Addis Ababa University School of Law in Ethiopia.

Oliver graduated from Harvard Law School and Villanova University. Before founding Wickard.ai, Oliver practiced at Skadden Arps and Jones Day and previously founded a technology startup focused on employment solutions. His legal achievements include successfully arguing twice before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and securing a cert denial at the U.S. Supreme Court, preserving one of his appellate victories. Oliver is admitted to practice law in New York, Texas, and Washington D.C.

In this episode of Early Returns, Jan Baran speaks with Brody Mullins, co-author of “The Wolves of K Street” and Pulitzer Prize winning Wall Street Journal journalist, about the historical, present and future world of lobbyists in the U.S. When our founding fathers created the Constitution, they believed there would be both industry and worker factions lobbying towards a greater good. Then, eventually big money took over big government and legal reforms were introduced. They discuss the effect the legal reforms have had on the legitimacy of lobbying. Did they help the public view of what was happening in Washington? Did the reforms take it too far? And now that President Trump is at the helm and he is issuing executive orders, what does this mean for the future of lobbying?

About Brody Mullins

Brody Mullins is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and author of The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took over Big Government. The book, published by Simon & Schuster, is the definitive account of the rise of corporate power and lobbying in Washington. In two decades as an investigative reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Brody wrote scores of ground-breaking stories about the intersection of business and politics, exposing scandals that prompted new laws and regulations for powerful government officials, lobbyists and Wall Street traders.

In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Brody won the George Polk Award and was twice won the Everett Dirksen Award for best coverage of Congress. Washingtonian calls him one of the 50 best reporters in politics. He has appeared on Fox, CNN, MSNBC and his work has been published by The Washington Post, New York Times, Vanity Fair, Politico and The Atlantic.

Brody grew up in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Gonzaga College High School and Northwestern University. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, two daughters and son.

In this episode, Jan Baran speaks with the Vice Chair of the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”), Trey Trainor. Born and raised in Texas, Commissioner Trainor discusses his career, his route to the FEC, the tracking of campaign donors through technology, the future of the Commission, and its role with the Department of Justice in campaign finance investigations. Given that the FEC is responsible for administering and enforcing our federal campaign finance laws, they discuss the New York case against President Trump which alleged illegal hush money payments. Who decides whether there were any campaign finance violations? The Commissioner talks about his observations and the unusual role of the DOJ in the case against the president.

About James E. “Trey” Trainor III

James E. "Trey" Trainor III was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the United States Senate on May 19, 2020. He was appointed to a term ending April 30, 2023.

Commissioner Trainor, of Driftwood, Texas, has practiced law for two decades, particularly in the areas of election law, campaign finance law and ethics. He has served as General Counsel to the Texas Secretary of State and Counsel to the Texas House Committee on Regulated Industries, and has represented the Texas Republican Party and two presidential campaigns. Commissioner Trainor has also served on the Advisory Board of the United States Election Assistance Commission. Prior to joining the Commission, Commissioner Trainor was a partner at Akerman, LLP, and had his own private practice.

Commissioner Trainor graduated from Texas A&M University (Corps of Cadets member) in 1997. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army Reserves in 2000 and earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law in 2002.