In episode 581 of Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Drew Bloom of Affinity Consulting Group about how artificial intelligence is evolving from assistants into agents that can act on a lawyer’s behalf. Instead of just suggesting edits or answers, agentic AI can redline contracts, search multiple documents, and connect across platforms to finish tasks before asking for approval. Drew explains what this shift means for law firms, what tools are likely to appear in the next 12–24 months, and why preparing your data—through structure, metadata, and integrations—matters more than ever. He also shares practical ways to start experimenting with AI connectors in tools you already use, so you’re ready when agentic features become standard in everyday legal work. Listen to our other episodes on AI in Law: #577: Rethinking Law Firm Growth in the Age of AI, with Sam Harden Apple | Spotify | LTN #565: Becoming the AI Driven Leader, with Geoff Woods Apple | Spotify | LTN #562: Beyond ChatGPT: The AI Revolution Happening Inside Your Firm, with Charreau Bell Apple | Spotify | LTN #553: AI Tools and Processes Every Lawyer Should Use, with Catherine Sanders Reach Apple | Spotify | LTN #543: What Lawyers Need to Know About the Ethics of Using AI, with Hilary Gerzhoy Apple | Spotify | LTN #538: AI Is Making Law Firms Obsolete, with Alistair Vigier Apple | Spotify | LTN If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you. Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com. Chapters/Timestamps: 0:00 – Introduction & Conferences Recap 2:48 – From SEO to AEO: The New Search Frontier 6:34 – Meet Drew Bloom: AI for Law Firms 8:48 – What Makes AI “Agentic”? 13:47 – Assistants vs. Agents: How They Differ 16:00 – Redlining & Real-World Use Cases 20:41 – MCPs and Custom AI Connections 27:30 – The Future: Multi-Tool AI & Mobility 29:48 – Preparing Your Firm: Data & Metadata 34:38 – Where Lawyers Can Experiment Safely
