Hey there Legal Rebels! 👋 I'm excited to share with you the 23rd episode of the 2025 season of the LawDroid Manifesto podcast, where I will be continuing to interview key legal innovators to learn how they do what they do. I think you're going to enjoy this one!
If you want to understand how to break down silos in legal technology and see how diverse career paths can lead to innovative solutions in legal aid, you need to listen to this episode. Shellie is at the forefront of connecting legal aid organizations with technology resources and has a unique perspective from her journey through forensic science, military life, and legal practice.
From Forensic Science to Legal Tech Innovation
Join me as I interview Shellie Reid, Manager of the Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project (LSNTAP).
In this insightful podcast episode, Shellie shares her remarkable journey from growing up in small-town Alabama selling vegetables roadside to becoming a champion for legal technology in the legal aid space. She dives deep into her unconventional path through forensic science, military spouse life across multiple countries, and eventual transition to law school at age 49. Shellie demonstrates how her diverse experiences have uniquely positioned her to break down silos between different sectors of legal technology.
Her stories and insights underscore the importance of connecting legal aid organizations with technology resources, including crowdsourced databases like the TIG (Technology Initiative Grants) repository and educational programming. This episode is a must-watch for anyone interested in how technology can democratize legal services and bridge gaps between different legal communities.
The Skinny
Shellie Reid, Manager of LSNTAP, shares her unconventional journey from forensic science student to legal technology innovator. Starting with childhood influences from her science teacher father and Rosie the Riveter grandmother, Shellie's path took her through military spouse life across 12-13 states and two tours in Japan, where she taught English and became a neighborhood celebrity. After raising her family, she pursued her deferred dream of law school at Michigan State at age 49, where she studied under Dennis Kennedy and participated in the Access to Justice Tech Fellows program. Her diverse background has positioned her uniquely to address one of her biggest pet peeves: the silos that exist between corporate legal tech, general legal tech, and legal aid legal tech communities. At LSNTAP, she focuses on providing technology education to legal aid organizations nationwide while building crowdsourced resources like grant databases and preparing the community for AI adoption.
Key Takeaways:
Shellie's diverse career path from forensic science through military spouse life to legal tech demonstrates how unconventional backgrounds can bring unique value to legal innovation
The Access to Justice Tech Fellows program served as a crucial bridge, connecting her with opportunities and revealing that technology was often an afterthought in legal aid organizations
Breaking down silos between different legal tech communities remains a major challenge, with limited crossover between corporate legal tech and legal aid spaces
LSNTAP's mission extends beyond education to creating crowdsourced resources like the TIG database, documenting 25 years of legal aid technology initiatives
Social media, particularly Twitter, played a crucial role in creating opportunities and connections that shaped her career trajectory
The legal aid community is slowly adapting to AI, with hesitations around cost, environmental impact, and social consciousness affecting adoption rates
Building a successful career in legal tech requires actively seeking opportunities, being willing to experiment and fail, and maintaining the persistence to open doors before opportunities knock
Traditional work-life balance may be less important than making conscious choices about priorities and giving yourself grace when standards slip
Notable Quotes:
"Our main mission is to provide legal technology education and training to legal aid organizations across the country." - Shellie Reid (02:32-02:35)
"And silos are my biggest pet peeve in this space. There is the legal tech space. There's a legal aid legal tech space. And then there's the corporate legal tech space. And very rarely do you have crossover from one area to another." - Shellie Reid (03:49-04:05)
"She always gave me the idea that I didn't have to settle for good enough. She made me dream of being the most that I could be." - Shellie Reid (21:07-21:14)
"And she always also said, always have money so that you can leave if you need to." - Shellie Reid (21:20-21:23)
"I discovered in that placement that technology in many cases was an afterthought for legal aid organizations. The answer for many has traditionally been we need to hire more staff." - Shellie Reid (25:13-25:21)
"Organizations, legal aid organizations, need to be a business in many respects." - Shellie Reid (25:46-25:50)
"The opportunities don't just happen. You know this, Tom, as an entrepreneur, you have to actually be seeking and you have to be willing to open the door even before someone's there knocking." - Shellie Reid (42:39-42:52)
"AI tools are expensive. And again, that hesitation to spend money on technology is definitely playing a factor." - Shellie Reid (48:39-48:46)
"Because if you don't tell your staff how to use AI, they're going to use it. Shadow IT is a thing, definitely. And people are using AI, whether organizations realize it or not." - Shellie Reid (49:44-49:57)
Clips
People Are Using AI Whether You Like It Or Not
A Year of Daily Learning and Innovation in Legal Tech
Grandmother the Trailblazer: Beyond Expectations
Pursuing Law School Dreams After Raising A Family
Shellie's story exemplifies how diverse life experiences can converge to create unique value in legal innovation. Her journey from selling vegetables in rural Alabama to managing a national legal technology assistance program demonstrates that there's no single path to making an impact in legal tech. Her military spouse background taught her adaptability and community building, while her late entry into law school brought maturity and perspective that enhanced her educational experience.
What makes Shellie's approach particularly valuable is her understanding of silos and her commitment to breaking them down. Having experienced different worlds - from forensic science to military life to traditional law practice - she brings a systems thinking approach to legal aid technology that recognizes both the challenges and opportunities for innovation in serving underrepresented communities.
Closing Thoughts
Shellie Reid's story resonates deeply with me because it represents everything I believe about the future of legal innovation. Her journey proves that the most impactful legal technologists often come from unexpected backgrounds, bringing fresh perspectives that challenge conventional thinking.
What strikes me most about Shellie's approach is her relentless focus on breaking down silos. The legal profession has long suffered from compartmentalization, but nowhere is this more problematic than in legal technology. When corporate legal tech, general legal tech, and legal aid communities operate in isolation, we miss crucial opportunities to democratize legal services and serve those who need them most.
Shellie's work at LSNTAP demonstrates how one person with diverse experiences and a commitment to connection can have outsized impact. By creating crowdsourced resources, facilitating education, and preparing the legal aid community for AI adoption, she's helping ensure that technological advances benefit everyone, not just those who can afford premium legal services.
Her story also highlights the importance of being opportunistic and persistent. From creating training materials for software she didn't work for to convincing Kevin O'Keefe to make her a campus representative, Shellie consistently created her own opportunities. This entrepreneurial mindset, combined with her commitment to serving others, makes her exactly the kind of innovator our profession needs.
As AI continues to transform legal practice, we need more leaders like Shellie who can bridge different communities and ensure that technological progress serves justice rather than just profit. Her work reminds us that the most important legal innovations often happen not in Silicon Valley boardrooms, but in the hands of practitioners committed to making legal services more accessible to those who need them most.
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