The Kennedy-Mighell Report Fresh Voices on Legal Tech with Erika Pagano
4 snips
Mar 20, 2026 Erika Pagano, Head of Legal Innovation and Design at Simmons & Simmons in Madrid, blends legal practice with design thinking and people-first tech. She talks about simple explanations for complex tools. She stresses collaboration, psychological safety, and nurturing transferable relationship skills. She explores AI’s effects, practical uses, and the need for governance.
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Prioritize Relationship And Succession Skills
- Invest in relational and succession skills like client reading, humility, and handing relationships to juniors.
- Erika warns AI can't replace personal touches like a client's dislike of emails past 11 p.m. or voice authenticity.
Create Psychological Safety For Collaboration
- Build psychological safety and lead both up and down to enable effective collaboration.
- Erika’s four-person, four-country team practices checking in, admitting strong opinions, and inviting mind changes to collaborate well.
Nonlinear Career Path And Networking Ritual
- Erika’s career path was non-linear: finished school early, lived in China, moved through Miami, London, and Madrid into legal innovation.
- She recommends reaching outside legal circles monthly on LinkedIn to broaden perspective and network.
