Legal Speak is a weekly podcast that makes sense of what's happening in the legal industry. Each episode tackles a subject that's worthy of a deep dive—from law firm profit hacks to Supreme Court showdowns to the most promising plays in legal tech. Hosted by Senior Litigation Reporter of the Daily Report Cedra Mayfield and Senior Staff Writer for the American Lawyer Patrick Smith, Legal Speak offers straight talk from experts, plus an inside-the-newsroom perspective on market-shaping stories.
March 23, 2026
In this episode of Legal Speak, recorded live at LegalWeek 2026 at the Javits Center in New York City, hosts Patrick Smith and Cedra Mayfield sat down with Abdi Shayesteh, Founder & CEO of AltaClaro, and Patricia Libby, Chief Learning Officer. The topic: the growing skills gap in critical thinking and communication among associates, and how AI can actually help build the human skills that matter most.
Here's a quick recap:
Deposition Simulator Launch: AltaClaro's new AI-powered tool, built with Verbit, simulates a full deposition environment—complete with an AI witness, opposing counsel, and court reporter. Users can toggle between a hostile witness or one who's polished, and face a passive or aggressive defense attorney.
Reps Over One-and-Done: The simulator replaces expensive once-a-year training with unlimited practice and rubric-based written feedback.
Seniors Want Warmups Too: Partners with 10 to 20 years of experience are using it for target practice before walking into real depositions—just like an athlete would.
Click below to listen to the full interview.
There’s a reason why firms such as Orrick, K&L Gates, A&O Shearman, and Ropes & Gray trust AltaClaro for their legal skills training.
With AltaClaro, you can get your associates to bill quality work product sooner, increase training retention and engagement, and save on resources used for legal skills training.
Interested? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with one of our experts to discuss learning pathways for your fall associates.