# From the Trunk to the Driver's Seat: How AI Is Leveling the Playing Field for Mid-Size Law Firms.

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/careers-and-the-business-of-law-6403793/from-the-trunk-to-the-driver-s-seat-how-ai-is-leveling-the-playing-field-for-mid-size-law-firms
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/careers-and-the-business-of-law-6403793/from-the-trunk-to-the-driver-s-seat-how-ai-is-leveling-the-playing-field-for-mid-size-law-firms.md
Podcast: [Careers and the Business of Law](https://stenobird.com/podcast/careers-and-the-business-of-law-6403793)
Published: 2026-05-13T17:45:00+00:00
Episode link: https://48601e5c-fc2d-4099-9281-666ceaf381e8.libsyn.com/from-the-trunk-to-the-drivers-seat-how-ai-is-leveling-the-playing-field-for-mid-size-law-firms
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/48601e5c-fc2d-4099-9281-666ceaf381e8/Chad_Ergun.mp3?dest-id=3934293
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/careers-and-the-business-of-law-6403793/episodes/from-the-trunk-to-the-driver-s-seat-how-ai-is-leveling-the-playing-field-for-mid-size-law-firms
Duration seconds: 597

## Resource

Legal tech used to live in the trunk - pulled out only when something broke. That era is over. David Cowen sits down with Chad Ergun , whose career has spanned Shearman & Sterling, White & Case, and Gibson Dunn before landing at Womble. Chad unpacks why mid-size firms are now competing with BigLaw, why his refusal to lock into a single AI vendor may be the smartest move in legal IT, and why simulation training is replacing the apprenticeship model. Key Topics Covered: Legal tech's promotion: From the trunk to the passenger seat to the driver's seat The roofing contractor problem: Why the billable hour cannot survive predictable outcomes, timelines, and costs Model hopping as strategy: Why Chad runs six different AI models and refuses vendor lock-in Simulation training for associates: Borrowing from pilots and surgeons to fix the mentorship gap AI doesn't judge you: Why associates ask AI the questions they were too afraid to ask their partners Enterprise data sovereignty: Why running AI on your own tenant is non-negotiable The end of the billable hour by 2027: Chad weighs in on Anthropic GC's bold prediction 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Share this episode and take your career from now to next! 💡To learn more about the future of legal innovation, visit https://solid.legal/podcasts/ Never eat alone!

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