June 24, 2025 • 9 mins
I spoke with Andy Seavers, the Co-Founder and CEO of Case Status, a client engagement platform focused on connecting consumer law firms with their clients. We discussed the importance of a new approach to client engagement for modern law firms, the ethical challenges associated with deploying legal technology, and how AI and data analytics are reshaping the practice of law.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome to Reinventing Professionals,a podcast hosted by industry analyst
Ari Kaplan, which shares ideas,guidance, and perspectives from market
leaders shaping the next generationof legal and professional services.
This is Ari Kaplan and I'm speakingtoday with Andy Seavers, the co-founder
(00:24):
and CEO of case status, a clientengagement platform focused on connecting
consumer law firms with their clients.
Hi Andy.
How are you?
I'm good.
How are you?
I'm doing really well.
I'm looking forward to this conversation.
So tell us about your backgroundand the genesis of Case Status.
I was a pre-law major in college.
(00:44):
Wanted to be an entertainmentlawyer and went to Nashville.
But ultimately transitionedinto technology consulting
and and software development.
Eight or nine years ago met my co-founderLauren Stent, a practicing personal
injury lawyer here in Charleston.
She was getting hundreds of callsa day from clients wanting to know
what's going on with their case.
And that really is what.
Birth, the idea of case statuswhich we in the early days called
(01:07):
the Domino's Pizza Tracker for yourlegal case and today has become the
client engagement platform that it is.
How do you see case statustransforming the legal industry's
approach to client engagement?
The number one state bar complaintis lack of attorney communication.
I don't think anyone thinks abouttheir law firm and is oh man, this
(01:27):
is an unbelievably great experience.
It starts typically if you're ina lawsuit or you're in some legal
matter, it's already not a good time.
And lawyers have never really.
Been trained or been put in a positionwhere they needed to really care
about the client or at least inthe ways that consumer expectations
have changed, but that's it.
Consumer expectations havechanged with the way that we stay
updated on our Amazon deliveries.
(01:48):
We stay updated on our medical treatment.
We stay updated in prettymuch every area of our life.
But if you hire a lawyer.
It's calls and emails, and youmight get a call back, you might
get an update, but it became a veryreactive relationship where the law
firm just reacts to client requests.
We help transform the way thatthey engage clients, and it becomes
very proactive and personal.
(02:10):
When the client feels cared for, thelaw firm's job becomes easier and
ultimately the settlements become better.
What are the most significant ethicalchallenges associated with leveraging
technology in the practice of law today?
Ethics is such a funny thing inthis area because historically
if you're not a lawyer the BarAssociation will go after you.
But once you become a lawyer theysomewhat come around you and say,
(02:32):
okay, you're now part of the club.
It's actually become more of a protectionthan disciplining law firms for providing
a bad experience unless they get a lot of.
Bar complaints.
The reality is if you look at the theABAs rules of conduct, keeping clients
reasonably updated on their casesis one of the most important pieces.
The net promoter scoreof the legal industry is.
(02:52):
Traditionally in the thirties, thereality is in consumer law, it's
a zero or maybe like a negative 30
., There needs to be a change.
And now with AI and the changes that arehappening there's a new ethical minimum
for what we view as, what's necessary tobe able to handle a client efficiently.
And there's different typesof software that can help.
We are always focused on the client andhow can we give the client what they
(03:16):
deserve, which is, access to justice.
It's ownership over their case.
And when we can do that really effectivelyand unlock the law firm's ability to do
that well, then we help them, grow theirpractice more efficiently, ethically,
and with a better client experience.
You referred to emerging tools,how do you see AI and data
analytics reshaping legal practice?
(03:38):
There are so many areas wherewe're seeing data and AI being,
applied to the legal process.
We have a really unique opportunitywhere, because we have the client
engaged moly we can also engagethe client via web or via text.
But we see about 80% ofclients adopt the mobile app.
And what that unlocks us todo is help the law firm know.
(03:58):
What they're looking at, how long ittakes to respond, are they responding?
What type of responsesdrive the best experience?
We help flag things that mightget missed in the process ah,
like it's a personal injury case.
My back hurts.
A trained lawyer would say, Hey,we might need to go get an MRI, but
a busy paralegal might say, Hey,so sorry to hear that and move on.
(04:19):
Those are the types of opportunitiesthat we have to really help the.
Attorney and staff provide, areally unique and better experience.
Last year with over 250 million clientdata points, we're able to build
an AI model that really is personaland specific to each law firm.
For example, when a client asks aquestion, we pre-draft responses to the
(04:40):
client that the staff members can use.
And that's based on their website.
It's based on frequently asked questions.
It's based on case data.
It's based on every response they've evergiven in the lifetime of the firm and
personalized based on the staff member,but in the tone of the way that the law
firm expects their staff to communicate.
Now over 40% of the messages sent onour platform are messages that we've
(05:00):
drafted and 99% of the time unedited.
We're driving realinsight and opportunity.
And then the AI agent ispre drafting the response.
The staff member doesn'thave to do that value chain.
They just have to point and click.
We still believe it's important forthe human in the loop so we are very
specific about how we equip the staffto be really good, fast, and empathetic.
(05:23):
Ultimately, it makes them better.
It doesn't replace them.
How should law firms adjust theircommunications to accommodate
these changing expectations?
We focus typically onthe consumer base space.
So a lot of flat fee and contingency basedlaw, personal injury, immigration, family
state, criminal bankruptcy, and whenthere's no hourly billing it's easy to
(05:44):
wanna look for tools to drive efficiency.
We're now having conversation with some ofthe biggest law firms where these partners
are saying, Andy, I have zero visibility.
And to any communication that'shappening across the entire firm.
We get fired randomly by a $10 milliona year client because the attorney was
just too busy golfing, and we had noidea that the service was so poor or well
(06:08):
here, we had an attorney just completelywalk off with their book of business.
We had no indication.
They were even trying to leave andwe had no visibility to be able
to pick up the pieces if some ofthose clients wanna stay because we
don't know what's been done to date.
And so all of those types of situationsthat we hear, we see a vision that we can
really solve for those types of firms.
Client intelligence is really the waythat we see that we can unlock that.
(06:32):
And the thing that weget really excited about.
Is in predictive sentiment.
Today, we take a Delta flight, we getasked for a net promoter score, and maybe
less than 1% of the time we give a score.
That's what's really made ussuccessful in the consumer space
because we've been able to ask.
Throughout the case process, through themobile app and actually require an answer.
So we had 270,000 netpromoter scores last year.
(06:55):
But we see the opportunity wherethat's been able to train a model to
do predictive sentiment where if wecan just predict that clients are that
a specific client is unhappy becauseof the phase, because of the things
that they're doing in an app or thething, the ways they're communicating
or the ways they're not communicating.
That becomes hugely beneficial becausethen we can flag to the leadership,
Hey, this is where we need to spendour time building process, implementing
(07:19):
software, and ultimately providinga better service to our clients.
What should law firms do todayto prepare for the emerging
changes you are referencing to thepractice of law due to technology.
Today the biggest issue I hear withso many firms is that their staff
members are resistant to change.
(07:40):
You've got the flock that isafraid it's gonna replace them.
You've got the flockthat just doesn't wanna.
Do anything different.
I've talked to so many lawyers whowear Luddite like a badge of honor.
They're like, oh, I'man old school lawyer.
That makes me really special.
But the reality is, things arechanging and law firms can really start
equipping their staff with training.
With just visibility on how it'sgonna make their life better,
(08:02):
how it's gonna be better for theclient, and ultimately provide
just better outcomes for everybody.
That starts to warm people upto this idea that I can do this.
A lot of the staff members of theselaw firms don't even know that our
tools are ai because we don't needto smack him in the face with, oh.
This is magic AI that, give it some nameand some face that's gonna replace them
just like your yellow notepad was thetool to take notes, client intelligence is
(08:27):
the tool to provide the best experience.
So when law firms can really helptheir staff members get to the point
where they trust that these toolsthat are getting created when these
platforms that are being adopted, aregoing to actually help them, we will
see a massive shift in the market andeverybody's gonna benefit from it.
Later this year in September, we arehosting our first client experience
(08:49):
Summit, the CX Summit designed for legalprofessionals who believe that the client
experience is the most important partof their business, or at least are open.
Into the idea that they can improve.
We'll bring everybody togetherin Charleston, and we'll
have a lot of great speakers.
We have , some of the most forwardthinking lawyers as part of panels
and we will really focus arounddata, AI and ethics and how those
(09:13):
three areas really apply to clientexperience and transform the legal
experience for clients for the better.
This is Ari Kaplan speaking withAndy Seavers, the co-founder and CEO
of case status, a client engagementplatform focused on connecting
consumer law firms with their clients.
Andy, it's really been a privilege.
(09:34):
Thank you so much.
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Thank you for listening to theReinventing Professionals Podcast.
Visit reinventing professionals.com orari kaplan advisors.com to learn more.
Welcome to Reinventing Professionals,a podcast hosted by industry analyst
Ari Kaplan, which shares ideas,guidance, and perspectives from market
leaders shaping the next generationof legal and professional services.
This is Ari Kaplan and I'm speakingtoday with Andy Seavers, the co-founder
(00:24):
and CEO of case status, a clientengagement platform focused on connecting
consumer law firms with their clients.
Hi Andy.
How are you?
I'm good.
How are you?
I'm doing really well.
I'm looking forward to this conversation.
So tell us about your backgroundand the genesis of Case Status.
I was a pre-law major in college.
(00:44):
Wanted to be an entertainmentlawyer and went to Nashville.
But ultimately transitionedinto technology consulting
and and software development.
Eight or nine years ago met my co-founderLauren Stent, a practicing personal
injury lawyer here in Charleston.
She was getting hundreds of callsa day from clients wanting to know
what's going on with their case.
And that really is what.
Birth, the idea of case statuswhich we in the early days called
(01:07):
the Domino's Pizza Tracker for yourlegal case and today has become the
client engagement platform that it is.
How do you see case statustransforming the legal industry's
approach to client engagement?
The number one state bar complaintis lack of attorney communication.
I don't think anyone thinks abouttheir law firm and is oh man, this
(01:27):
is an unbelievably great experience.
It starts typically if you're ina lawsuit or you're in some legal
matter, it's already not a good time.
And lawyers have never really.
Been trained or been put in a positionwhere they needed to really care
about the client or at least inthe ways that consumer expectations
have changed, but that's it.
Consumer expectations havechanged with the way that we stay
updated on our Amazon deliveries.
(01:48):
We stay updated on our medical treatment.
We stay updated in prettymuch every area of our life.
But if you hire a lawyer.
It's calls and emails, and youmight get a call back, you might
get an update, but it became a veryreactive relationship where the law
firm just reacts to client requests.
We help transform the way thatthey engage clients, and it becomes
very proactive and personal.
(02:10):
When the client feels cared for, thelaw firm's job becomes easier and
ultimately the settlements become better.
What are the most significant ethicalchallenges associated with leveraging
technology in the practice of law today?
Ethics is such a funny thing inthis area because historically
if you're not a lawyer the BarAssociation will go after you.
But once you become a lawyer theysomewhat come around you and say,
(02:32):
okay, you're now part of the club.
It's actually become more of a protectionthan disciplining law firms for providing
a bad experience unless they get a lot of.
Bar complaints.
The reality is if you look at the theABAs rules of conduct, keeping clients
reasonably updated on their casesis one of the most important pieces.
The net promoter scoreof the legal industry is.
(02:52):
Traditionally in the thirties, thereality is in consumer law, it's
a zero or maybe like a negative 30
., There needs to be a change.
And now with AI and the changes that arehappening there's a new ethical minimum
for what we view as, what's necessary tobe able to handle a client efficiently.
And there's different typesof software that can help.
We are always focused on the client andhow can we give the client what they
(03:16):
deserve, which is, access to justice.
It's ownership over their case.
And when we can do that really effectivelyand unlock the law firm's ability to do
that well, then we help them, grow theirpractice more efficiently, ethically,
and with a better client experience.
You referred to emerging tools,how do you see AI and data
analytics reshaping legal practice?
(03:38):
There are so many areas wherewe're seeing data and AI being,
applied to the legal process.
We have a really unique opportunitywhere, because we have the client
engaged moly we can also engagethe client via web or via text.
But we see about 80% ofclients adopt the mobile app.
And what that unlocks us todo is help the law firm know.
(03:58):
What they're looking at, how long ittakes to respond, are they responding?
What type of responsesdrive the best experience?
We help flag things that mightget missed in the process ah,
like it's a personal injury case.
My back hurts.
A trained lawyer would say, Hey,we might need to go get an MRI, but
a busy paralegal might say, Hey,so sorry to hear that and move on.
(04:19):
Those are the types of opportunitiesthat we have to really help the.
Attorney and staff provide, areally unique and better experience.
Last year with over 250 million clientdata points, we're able to build
an AI model that really is personaland specific to each law firm.
For example, when a client asks aquestion, we pre-draft responses to the
(04:40):
client that the staff members can use.
And that's based on their website.
It's based on frequently asked questions.
It's based on case data.
It's based on every response they've evergiven in the lifetime of the firm and
personalized based on the staff member,but in the tone of the way that the law
firm expects their staff to communicate.
Now over 40% of the messages sent onour platform are messages that we've
(05:00):
drafted and 99% of the time unedited.
We're driving realinsight and opportunity.
And then the AI agent ispre drafting the response.
The staff member doesn'thave to do that value chain.
They just have to point and click.
We still believe it's important forthe human in the loop so we are very
specific about how we equip the staffto be really good, fast, and empathetic.
(05:23):
Ultimately, it makes them better.
It doesn't replace them.
How should law firms adjust theircommunications to accommodate
these changing expectations?
We focus typically onthe consumer base space.
So a lot of flat fee and contingency basedlaw, personal injury, immigration, family
state, criminal bankruptcy, and whenthere's no hourly billing it's easy to
(05:44):
wanna look for tools to drive efficiency.
We're now having conversation with some ofthe biggest law firms where these partners
are saying, Andy, I have zero visibility.
And to any communication that'shappening across the entire firm.
We get fired randomly by a $10 milliona year client because the attorney was
just too busy golfing, and we had noidea that the service was so poor or well
(06:08):
here, we had an attorney just completelywalk off with their book of business.
We had no indication.
They were even trying to leave andwe had no visibility to be able
to pick up the pieces if some ofthose clients wanna stay because we
don't know what's been done to date.
And so all of those types of situationsthat we hear, we see a vision that we can
really solve for those types of firms.
Client intelligence is really the waythat we see that we can unlock that.
(06:32):
And the thing that weget really excited about.
Is in predictive sentiment.
Today, we take a Delta flight, we getasked for a net promoter score, and maybe
less than 1% of the time we give a score.
That's what's really made ussuccessful in the consumer space
because we've been able to ask.
Throughout the case process, through themobile app and actually require an answer.
So we had 270,000 netpromoter scores last year.
(06:55):
But we see the opportunity wherethat's been able to train a model to
do predictive sentiment where if wecan just predict that clients are that
a specific client is unhappy becauseof the phase, because of the things
that they're doing in an app or thething, the ways they're communicating
or the ways they're not communicating.
That becomes hugely beneficial becausethen we can flag to the leadership,
Hey, this is where we need to spendour time building process, implementing
(07:19):
software, and ultimately providinga better service to our clients.
What should law firms do todayto prepare for the emerging
changes you are referencing to thepractice of law due to technology.
Today the biggest issue I hear withso many firms is that their staff
members are resistant to change.
(07:40):
You've got the flock that isafraid it's gonna replace them.
You've got the flockthat just doesn't wanna.
Do anything different.
I've talked to so many lawyers whowear Luddite like a badge of honor.
They're like, oh, I'man old school lawyer.
That makes me really special.
But the reality is, things arechanging and law firms can really start
equipping their staff with training.
With just visibility on how it'sgonna make their life better,
(08:02):
how it's gonna be better for theclient, and ultimately provide
just better outcomes for everybody.
That starts to warm people upto this idea that I can do this.
A lot of the staff members of theselaw firms don't even know that our
tools are ai because we don't needto smack him in the face with, oh.
This is magic AI that, give it some nameand some face that's gonna replace them
just like your yellow notepad was thetool to take notes, client intelligence is
(08:27):
the tool to provide the best experience.
So when law firms can really helptheir staff members get to the point
where they trust that these toolsthat are getting created when these
platforms that are being adopted, aregoing to actually help them, we will
see a massive shift in the market andeverybody's gonna benefit from it.
Later this year in September, we arehosting our first client experience
(08:49):
Summit, the CX Summit designed for legalprofessionals who believe that the client
experience is the most important partof their business, or at least are open.
Into the idea that they can improve.
We'll bring everybody togetherin Charleston, and we'll
have a lot of great speakers.
We have , some of the most forwardthinking lawyers as part of panels
and we will really focus arounddata, AI and ethics and how those
(09:13):
three areas really apply to clientexperience and transform the legal
experience for clients for the better.
This is Ari Kaplan speaking withAndy Seavers, the co-founder and CEO
of case status, a client engagementplatform focused on connecting
consumer law firms with their clients.
Andy, it's really been a privilege.
(09:34):
Thank you so much.
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Thank you for listening to theReinventing Professionals Podcast.
Visit reinventing professionals.com orari kaplan advisors.com to learn more.
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