Call it Alex Su, redux. We do not usually have the same guest on LawNext twice in the same year, but there is good reason to have Alex back, as he has just been named president of Latitude Legal, the flexible legal staffing company.

Last February, Alex and I recorded a live episode of this podcast over lunch in a Cambodian restaurant in Alex’s hometown of Alameda, Calif., as part of our LawNext on Location series. We talked about his winding career, from Sullivan & Cromwell associate to federal clerkship to legal tech startups and finally to chief revenue officer at Latitude.

In that interview, I asked Alex what was coming next. His answer was that as AI got better, the demand for lawyers with real judgment — to direct it, check it, and own the work — would only grow. Seven months later, that prediction is proving prescient. In just the first half of this year, Latitude says it has seen a 52 percent jump in new law firm and corporate clients.

So with Latitude’s promotion of Su to president, he returns to LawNext to discuss why he thinks AI is driving more demand for experienced lawyers, not less. He also talks about how Latitude’s client-service model relies on former law firm partners and senior in-house counsel, why he pushes back on labeling flex talent as “contract attorneys” or calling Latitude an ALSP, and why he expects the market for flexible legal talent to keep expanding as law firms and legal departments sort out what AI can and cannot handle.

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Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.