Lawyers Who Build: The Future of Legal Tech & AI | Batesly x Clearbrief
Legal software is having its AI moment, and most of the people deciding what gets built have never billed an hour. This fireside chat is the opposite.
Two lawyers who left private practice to build legal tech: Rachel Bender, Co-Founder & CEO of Batesly, sits down with Jacqueline Schafer, Founder and CEO of Clearbrief — and one of legal tech's most recognized builders — to discuss building AI tools for the legal profession. Honest, practical, and grounded in what actually works for a firm.
What We'll Get Into
Where AI genuinely helps a lawyer's day — and where it just adds risk
What it takes to earn trust with a profession that's right to be skeptical
How firms should think about the dozen legal-AI pitches landing in their inbox
What the next few years actually look like for legal tech
Who Should Come
Practicing lawyers
Legal-ops leaders
Founders and investors
Anyone curious about how AI reshapes a regulated profession
No technical background needed.
Format
A ~30-minute fireside conversation followed by open audience Q&A. Come with questions.
About Our Guest
Jacqueline Schafer is the founder and CEO of the leading litigation drafting platform in Word, Clearbrief.ai (2026 Legalweek Litigation Product of the Year, Legalweek Tech for Good Winner 2026, 2025 Clio Best Practice of Law App, 2025 Compliance Solution of the Year), and a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law.
The Legalweek Awards recently recognized Schafer as its 2025 Innovator of the Year, and the American Bar Association named her a 2025 Legal Rebel for Clearbrief's platform that catches AI hallucinations and helps litigators, arbitrators, in-house investigators, and judges write and file legal writing with hyperlinked citations to the evidence. She serves as one of the inaugural members of the Texas Bar's AI Taskforce and the WA Bar's Legal Technology Committee, and as a Board member of the nonprofit Scale Justice.
Her contributions to legal innovation have been recognized by LawDragon (2024 Leading AI and Tech Advisors), the ABA (2022 Women of Legal Tech), Fastcase (2022 Fastcase 50, Honoring 'Innovators, Techies, Visionaries and Leaders' in Law), and the Washington State Bar (2021 APEX Award for Legal Innovation).
About the Host
Rachel Bender is a Washington attorney and Co-Founder & CEO of Batesly, the all-in-one platform built to replace a law firm's entire tech stack.
Free and open as part of Seattle Tech Week 2026