I build AI systems that actually ship — inside Am Law 100 firms and the legal departments of major corporations. Twenty years spanning software engineering, enterprise transformation, and agentic AI design. Lawdragon 100. Financial Times. ILTA 2×. ALM.
Most advisors in AI and legal tech have lived on one side of the house or the other — the vision side or the build side. I've spent twenty years doing both. As the architect of DWT.AI, one of the first production-grade AI platforms inside an Am Law 100 firm, I've done what most consultants only recommend: shipped agentic systems, automated complex legal workflows at scale, and moved skeptical organizations into genuine AI adoption.
AI initiatives don't fail because the technology is hard. They fail because adoption is hard — meeting people where they are, building use cases that speak directly to them, measuring what's actually working. I've done that from inside client organizations, in rooms most legal technologists never access.
Five years as a Communications Sergeant with Multinational Forces in Iraq taught me how to lead through uncertain conditions. That's exactly the skillset legal innovation demands.
Today, as Partner and CIO at Baretz+Brunelle, I lead LexFusion Labs — the firm's AI application practice — building production systems for law firms, in-house legal teams, and legal tech vendors.
Each of these programs was built from scratch inside a real organization, adopted by real people, and recognized by the industry's most credible voices.
Architected and deployed one of the first fully customized in-house AI platforms inside an Am Law 100 firm. The platform runs thousands of interactions per hour at peak, achieved 70% firm-wide adoption, and earned two Stanford Law partnerships — one with CodeX and a founding advisory role in Stanford's liftlab. Covered by Law.com, Law360, Bloomberg Law, and Yahoo Finance.
Built a first-of-its-kind platform connecting in-house counsel with high-impact pro bono opportunities. Strengthened client relationships, enabled scalable pro bono programs, and established a new legal service model that earned two national awards.
Reset a failing multi-million-dollar initiative and delivered a complete firmwide hybrid workplace platform in 60 days. Web apps, companion mobile apps, digital kiosks outside every office showing real-time occupancy, walk-up conference room reservations, multi-day booking — all deployed simultaneously. Workplace tech vendors began calling the firm for feature ideas, a rare market reversal.
Designed and led the full operational integration of 75+ attorneys, ~800 active matters, ~500 clients, and 13 departments into DWT in six weeks. Coordinated 120+ professionals and built custom management systems from the ground up.
Awards don't mean much when they're handed out generously. These are given to a short list of programs each year — and these programs won them twice.
From flashlight programming in Baghdad to architecting AI platforms for Am Law 100 firms — a twenty-year arc defined by execution under pressure.
Keynotes for Fortune 500 technology and enterprise corporations. Stanford research partnerships. Editorial board of Law360. The work speaks loudest, but the conversation keeps going.
Independently covered by Bloomberg Law, Law.com, and Law360 — the publications legal professionals read to understand where the industry is heading.
Available for partnership, advisory, and consulting engagements across in-house legal teams, outside counsel, and legal technology vendors.