Extract from Justin Smith’s article “Judge Scott Schlegel Talks ChatGPT, Transforming the Courtroom, and More with Everlaw”
Creating a different type of courtroom isn’t for the faint of heart.
There’s history, tradition, rules, and practices that are layered together into a system that often takes decades to move.
But with the rush of new technology into the market, and the onset of generative AI in particular, what once moved in decades is now faster than ever.
And while many courts struggle to gain a foothold in the present, there’s a judge in Louisiana who is already finding his footing in the future.
Judge Scott Schlegel serves on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and as the Chair of the Louisiana Supreme Court Technology Commission, in addition to being recently appointed to the Advisory Council of the ABA Task Force on the Law and Artificial Intelligence.
He is one of the most technologically forward thinking judges in the country. He’s embraced things like online calendaring, Zoom, and other ways of “digitizing” the courtroom to make it more accessible and aligned with modern technology.
Judge Schlegel spoke with Everlaw about his 21st-century courtroom, ChatGPT, how courts can start implementing change now, and more.
