David Cunningham is the Chief Innovation Officer at Reed Smith LLP, where he leads legal tech transformation for 2,000+ lawyers across 34 offices. But his focus goes far beyond technology—he’s rethinking the culture and workflows that shape how legal work gets done.

With a background in legal operations and data analytics, David has become one of the leading voices in the push for practical, scalable innovation in Big Law. He’s also the founder of Legal Metrics, a nonprofit initiative improving how firms and clients measure performance.

In this episode, David pulls back the curtain on what firms are really doing with AI and how change actually happens at scale. We talk about the biggest barriers to adoption (hint: it’s not the tools), how some seasoned partners are leapfrogging junior lawyers in AI use, and what law firms can learn from tech companies.

We also explore:

-How David’s background in client-facing innovation shapes his work inside the firm

-What “working backwards from the client” looks like in Big Law

-Why the hardest part of innovation is behavior—not technology

-The metrics that actually matter for modern legal teams

-How law students and associates can position themselves as innovation leaders

-If you’re curious about the future of legal work and what’s happening behind the scenes at some of the world’s top firms, this episode is for you.

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