Artificial Intelligence in Legal Practice Roundtable

This intimate, focused discussion will bring together AI industry leaders, legal practitioners, and law school faculty to explore how AI is transforming legal practice and what skills our students need to develop. 

Schedule:

The event will take place on Friday, May 16th from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM.  

• 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM: AI Industry Panel - Featuring representatives from companies developing AI tools for legal professionals
• 12:15 PM - 1:45 PM: Legal Practitioners Panel - Featuring attorneys from leading law firms and public interest organizations in Columbus who are actively implementing AI tools in their practice
• 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM: Moritz Faculty Panel - Featuring members of our AI@Moritz committee and other Moritz faculty who are incorporating AI into their teaching and research.

Michael Dockery

Director of Product

Marveri

Mike Dockery is the Director of Product and Chief Legal Officer of Marveri, a software company founded out of MIT which develops AI solutions for lawyers; prior to his move into Legal AI, Mike was a Corporate / M&A partner at Morrison & Foerster. Mike graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, has completed Andrew Ng's seminal Stanford specialization in Machine Learning, and has also studied the business implications of AI at MIT Sloan. Mike regularly writes on a broad range of topics related to AI and the Law."

Sarah Glassmeyer

Director of Data Curation

Legaltech Hub

Sarah Glassmeyer is a lawyer, librarian, and legal technologist.  She received her MLS from Indiana University and her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.  She is currently the Director of Data Curation at Legaltech Hub and through her career has had a variety of roles in legal ed, legal tech, and legal innovation, including the ABA Center for Innovation and the Harvard Library Innovation Lab/Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Sarah has been named to the Fastcase 50, an ABA Legal Rebel and an ABA Legal Technology Resource Center top woman in legal technology.

Sam Harden

Senior Innovation Manager

Probono.net

Sam is a lawyer, technologist, and a believer that technology can help bridge the access-to-justice gap. He likes to get his hands dirty and is constantly building and experimenting with ways to apply technology to law. He is frequent speaker about the intersection of law and technology. Sam previously worked as the Development Team Leader for the Florida Justice Technology Center as well as the Project Manager for the Florida Criminal Justice Data Pilot Project with Measures for Justice. He is licensed in Florida, where he previously practiced large loss litigation and criminal defense. 

Janea Ivory

CoCounsel Customer Success Manager

Thomson Reuters

Janea Ivory has specialized in the Legal AI space, helping more than 1,000 small and midsized law firms make the leap into Legal AI since 2023. In her current role as CoCounsel Customer Success Manager, Janea has helped dozens of law firms realize the efficiency and benefits of integrating AI into their practices. 

With a strong commitment to enhancing legal workflows and a passion for innovation, Janea brings a wealth of knowledge and practical experience to her work. Her expertise in legal AI has made her a trusted advisor and a key player in driving customer success initiatives at CoCounsel. 

Janea is a graduate of the University of Dayton School of Law and lives in Springfield, OH. 

Alex Shaffer

Product Manager & Team Lead for Vincent AI

Alex Shaffer is Product Manager for Vincent AI. A University of Texas School of Law alum, he launched his career in the trial division of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, spending five days a week immersed in courtroom practice. Today, he channels his hands‑on litigation experience into designing AI‑powered solutions that streamline research, document analysis, and drafting. Alex is passionate about placing user needs at the center of every workflow so that legal professionals can redirect their focus to what matters most—their clients.

Otto von Zastrow

CEO & Founder

Midpage

Otto von Zastrow began coding at the age of 15 and studied Computer Science at ETH Zürich and Heidelberg. During his undergraduate studies, he founded a robotics company. Later, he focused on combining language models with search before starting Midpage in early 2023.

Jen Stringfield

Subject Matter Advisor - Artificial Intelligence, Intellectual Property, Data Security & Privacy

Jen is a seasoned legal professional with a deep understanding of legal technology as it relates to the practice of law. She is a subject matter expert in Intellectual Property and Data Security & Privacy at LexisNexis. Over her extensive tenure at Lexis, exceeding a decade, Jen has emerged as a key player in the intersection of law and technology. She possesses a wealth of experience in Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications within the legal landscape, contributing to advancements in legal tech and the integration of AI into legal practice. Before her tenure at LexisNexis, Jen practiced as a litigation attorney in the Chicago. Jen holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Merisa K. Bowers

Loss Prevention & Outreach Counsel

Ohio Bar Liability Ins. Co. 

Merisa K. Bowers joined the Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company (OBLIC) in 2023 after nearly 14 years in private practice. As Loss Prevention & Outreach Counsel, Merisa supports fellow attorneys through proactive policy development, risk management, and best practice guidance.

Raised in Canton, Ohio, she earned her law degree cum laude from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with Departmental Honors from the University of Cincinnati. She has received industry recognition over her career and is an active member of the Ohio State Bar Association, local and affinity bars, and a 2024 Ohio State Bar Foundation Fellow.

Merisa is honored to serve as Council President in her second term on Gahanna City Council. She and her family enjoy spending time outdoors and cheering on the Cleveland Guardians.

Kris Chandler

Senior Managing Associate, Intellectual Property

Chair, AI Commission

Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP

An attorney in Benesch’s Intellectual Property Practice Group and Chair of the firm’s multidisciplinary AI Commission, Kris Chandler leads efforts to guide clients in the safe and legal deployment of AI technologies and tools, helping to enhance operations and drive innovation. His practice focuses on complex corporate and technology transactions, intellectual property protection, data security and privacy, and regulatory guidance. Kris has extensive experience advising B2B and B2C businesses, AI tech and tools developers, investors, collaborators, service providers, and users/integrators on the legal implications of AI innovations and associated risks. He proactively monitors proposed laws, regulations and litigation to keep clients informed and well-positioned for the future. He is well-versed in developing AI use-related policies, procedures, and best practices to maintain control over data and manage risks, as well as in providing industry-specific guidance for highly regulated sectors such as healthcare, life sciences, and banking and finance. Kris's background as an intellectual property lawyer allows him to assist high-tech companies in marketing, protecting, commercializing and distributing their intellectual property. He also has significant experience navigating data security and privacy regulations in the United States, Canada and Europe, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Susan Choe

Executive Director

Ohio Legal Help

Susan Choe is a lawyer with a background in legal services and setting up large, statewide systems. She started her career as a legal aid advocate specializing in housing and civil rights in Toledo. Later, she joined the clinical faculty of the Moritz College of Law and was the director of the Student Housing Legal Clinic. Before her current role, she worked in several leadership capacities at the Ohio Attorney General's Office (AGO), including playing a key role in responding to Ohio's foreclosure crisis as Section Chief for Consumer Protection. In that role, Susan served as lead counsel for the AGO on the 2012 National Mortgage Settlement and Multistate Executive Committee. Ohioans received more than $380 million in consumer relief and Ohio received more than $90 million for foreclosure prevention, neighborhood revitalization and other efforts as a result of the national settlement. Susan also served as the Section Chief of Civil Rights for the AGO and provided counsel and guidance to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission on cases involving employment, housing, credit and public accommodation discrimination. 

Andrew Robie

Associate

Dickinson Wright

Andrew Robie is an attorney at Dickinson Wright’s Columbus office, where he focuses his practice on corporate law. He counsels clients on various issues, including business formation, reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, and corporate governance. Before earning his J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and joining the firm, Andrew gained valuable experience in secondary education and the construction industry. He works closely with colleagues across different practice areas to offer clients seamless and effective legal solutions tailored to various industries.

Meganne Thaxton

Senior Corporate Counsel

Red Ventures

Meganne Thaxton is a seasoned attorney with 20 years of combined corporate and legal experience, including expertise in technology, commercial negotiations, and leadership. At Red Ventures, a media and technology company, she serves as Lead AI Counsel and Legal Operations leader. Her practice focuses on company-wide AI efforts & governance, implementing legal operations solutions, and supporting the Insurance and Education businesses.  Previously, she has held roles at Klarna - a global fintech payment solutions company; served as General Counsel at a regional staffing company; and held various legal and business roles at Nationwide Insurance during her 10-year tenure.

Raised in Columbus, Ohio, she earned her law degree from Capital University Law School and her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business.  She is proud to serve as the Immediate Past President of the Central Ohio Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and is a member of the ACC's AI Thought Leader group

Miguel Villalobos

Miguel Villalobos

Senior Director AI and Discovery Platforms

Integreon

Miguel Villalobos is the Senior Director of AI & Discovery Platforms at Integreon, where he advises law firms and corporate legal departments on the implementation of AI and machine learning in litigation, regulatory compliance, and legal operations. A licensed Ohio attorney and 2011 graduate of the Moritz College of Law, he has over 13 years of experience operationalizing emerging technologies in support of complex litigation and cross-border investigations. His work focuses on the legal and ethical implications of AI in practice, particularly in areas such as civil procedure, data privacy, and defensible workflows. Miguel regularly collaborates across industry groups such as EDRM (Electronic Discovery Reference Model) and ACEDS (Association of E-Discovery Specialists) to shape industry best practices.

Claudia André

Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor

Moritz College of Law

Claudia André where teaches Legal Writing I and II and serves on the Moriz@AI Committee. She previously taught as an adjunct professor for Moritz's Appellate Advocacy course. With a background in general and appellate litigation, André is barred in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. For the 2025-26 academic year, she has been awarded a Firestarter Grant to teach a "Creative Writing for Lawyers" course.

Rebecca Fordon

Law Librarian & Assistant Professor of Professional Practice

Rebecca Fordon brings a unique blend of experience in both legal practice and legal technology to Moritz. After a decade as a bankruptcy attorney, she transitioned to law librarianship, where she now teaches legal research, writing, and technology-including a course on 21st-century lawyering. Her work focuses on expanding access to legal information and equipping future lawyers with the skills to navigate emerging technologies. Rebecca is a 2024 vLex Fastcase 50 honoree and an active board member of the Free Law Project.

Dennis Hirsch 

Professor of Law, Moritz College of Law

Professor, Department of Computer Science

Director, Program on Data and Governance

Dennis Hirsch serves as Faculty Director of the OSU Program on Data and Governance which studies and convenes events on the law, policy and management of advanced analytics and AI.  A recognized expert on the law, policy, and governance of advanced analytics and AI, Professor Hirsch serves on the OECD Expert Group on AI Risk and Accountability and the Advisory Board for the IAPP’s AI Governance Center and teaches a course on The Governance of AI: Law, Ethics, Technology, and Management.

Rob Kim

Postdoctoral Fellow, Moritz College of Law

Rob Kim’s research focuses on the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape of AI and Machine Learning in healthcare. His research draws on prior academic experience in molecular biophysics and computer science, and a lifelong interest in emerging technologies. In his spare time Rob experiments with local AI, building toolchains and finetunes to better understand the mechanisms, capabilities, and limitations of current AI methods and models.

Amy Schmitz

John Deaver Drinko-Baker & Hostetler Endowed Chair in Law, Moritz College of Law

Co-Director of the Translational Data Analytics Institute (TDAI) CoP for Responsible Data Science, The Ohio State University

Amy Schmitz directs the JusticeTech Program and is heavily involved in discussions and research around technology and access to remedies. She has published extensively in journals and books, is a co-author of Resolving Disputes: Theory, Practice and Law (Aspen 2021), the book with Stipanowich, Arbitration: Theory, Practice and Law (Aspen 2022), a book with C. Rule, The New Handshake: Online Dispute Resolution and the Future of Consumer Protection (ABA 2017), and most recently, The Arbitration Conversation: Insights and Wisdom from Experts in the Field (ABA 2024). She has received the CPR Book Award in 2023 and again in 2025, two Fulbright Specialist grants focused on AI and dispute resolution, and does research, teaching and presentations throughout the world. 

Ric Simmons

Associate Dean for Faculty and Intellectual Life

Jacob E. Davis and Jacob E. Davis II Chair in Law

Moritz College of Law

Ric Simmons’ research focuses on the intersection of the Fourth Amendment and new technology. He has written about the use of big data in the criminal justice system, searches of cell phones and other electronic devices, and hyper-intrusive surveillance devices. He has also written about the privatization of the criminal justice system and the role of the prosecutor. Professor Simmons is the author of Smart Surveillance: How to Interpret the Fourth Amendment in the Twenty-First Century (Cambridge Press 2019), and Private Criminal Justice: How Private Parties are Enforcing Criminal Law and Transforming Our Justice System (2023), and he has co-authored four casebooks and two hornbooks. 

Todd Starker

Clinical Professor of Law, Moritz College of Law

Todd Starker teaches courses in legal writing, contracts, transactional practice, professional responsibility, and accounting for lawyers. Before joining the faculty full time, he clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and practiced corporate law at Squire Patton Boggs. Professor Starker has been an early adopter of generative AI in the classroom, requiring students as early as 2023 to engage critically with AI tools in analyzing legal ethics problems. He now regularly uses AI as a virtual teaching assistant and designs innovative exercises—including mock oral arguments, guided legal writing sessions, “teach-the-AI” activities, and AI-powered tutoring tools—to help students learn more deeply and creatively.