What actually happens to marketing when a firm's data lives in a central lakehouse instead of a stack of disconnected systems?

In this episode, Jason Kennedy, CEO of Choate Frazier, makes the case that modern legal marketing requires a marketer who can speak the language of IT, knowledge management, and innovation. Jason shares his journey from CMO to marketing ops to data strategist at Holland & Knight, and breaks down how Big Law firms are rethinking their MarTech architecture to move past fragmented spreadsheets and second copies of the truth. He argues that you can’t prove marketing value when your team spends all its time putting out data fires. That philosophy shapes everything from how firms evaluate CRM options across the Am Law 200 to why headless CRM is gaining traction.

He explains why lakehouse architecture gives marketing unfettered access to governed firm-wide data, why data silos are giving rise to expensive AI sprawl, and why finding your North Star is key to earning a seat at the table. Jason also gets honest about why measuring ROI is so hard when partners act as the sales force, and how data helps you tell a partner why a prospect is a waste of time.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(01:51) The struggle to define marketing ROI in professional services

(02:46) Discovering the power of legal data

(04:03) Crash course in data architecture at Holland & Knight

(06:54) What is a data lakehouse architecture?

(08:52) Differences between a data lake, warehouse, and lakehouse

(10:19) Why traditional CRMs become a second copy of the truth

(12:49) The reality of being data-driven in Big Law marketing

(25:36) Evaluating the Am Law 200 CRM landscape

(29:19) Exploring headless CRM options in legal tech

(34:49) Avoiding the hidden trap of AI sprawl across MarTech

(37:16) Practical first steps for data-driven marketing

Connect with our guest:

• Jason Kennedy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmkennedy/
• Learn more about Choate Frazier: https://www.choatefrazier.com/

Connect with Tom:

• Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/
• Learn more about Entegrata: https://www.entegrata.com

What does it actually take to get 70-80% of attorneys using AI every month? In this episode, Tim Fox, Chief Data and AI Officer at Ogletree Deakins, makes the case that adoption isn't a byproduct of a great tool - it's a strategy in itself.

Tim shares his journey from mailman to litigator to C-suite AI strategist, and breaks down how Ogletree Deakins moved past the hype cycle to hit usage numbers most firms only dream about. His thesis: if people aren't using the tool, it wasn't worth building. That philosophy shapes everything from how they evaluate vendors to how they staff their AI program.

He explains why AI requires dedicated people (not just platforms), why early adopters can only carry you so far, and why the buy-vs-build debate misses the real question - which is whether anyone will actually show up to use what you deploy. Tim also gets honest about what attorneys really think about time savings, and why "five hours saved" doesn't land the way technologists expect it to.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(01:50) Mailman transitioning to legal AI leader

(06:09) Transforming firm data into strategic advantage

(07:45) Settlement data extraction insights

(09:09) Leveraging external data for competitive advantage

(10:32) Four key barriers to AI adoption

(15:31) Training staff for effective AI usage

(18:55) Buy and build AI strategy explained

(21:33) How to run vendor demos successfully

(25:36) Managing legal tech ecosystem sprawl

(36:27) Regulatory data insights for labor law

(39:10) Sequencing data strategy and governance

Connect with our guest:

• Tim Fox on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-fox-legal/
• Learn more about Ogletree Deakins: https://ogletree.com/

Connect with Tom:

• Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/

Learn more about Entegrata: https://www.entegrata.com

How do you build a law firm data platform that actually gets used, and know when it’s time to evolve beyond it?

In this episode, Reanna Martinez, Director of Innovation, Systems, and Data at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, shares the firm’s multi-year journey building a modern, cloud-based data lakehouse on Azure. From standardizing data at the point of entry to consolidating employee, financial, and matter data into a centralized platform, Reanna explains how Munger transformed fragmented information into a trusted enterprise asset.

She walks through why the firm initially chose to build in-house, how governance and security shaped every architectural decision, and what five years of hands-on experience taught her team about scalability, resourcing, and long-term sustainability. Reanna also breaks down the signals that indicated it was time to evolve toward a purpose-built data platform, and what other firms should understand before embarking on a similar path.

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(01:50) Reanna Martinez’s career path into systems and data

(03:52) Establishing a firmwide data foundation at Munger

(05:09) Governance constraints that shaped innovation decisions

(06:41) Creating a centralized platform to eliminate data silos

(09:35) Why the firm chose to build its platform internally

(12:12) Key lessons learned from building a homegrown lakehouse

(21:53) How AI changes expectations for secure data platforms

(28:52) Reflections on data access, insights, and evolving delivery

Connect with our guest:

• Reanna Martinez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reannamartinez/
• Learn more about Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP: https://www.mto.com/

Connect with Tom:

• Tom Baldwin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombaldwin/
• Learn more about Entegrata: https://www.entegrata.com