TF Todd Friedlich

Hello.

I'm Todd Friedlich

Technologist Strategist Innovation Leader FastCase 50 Honoree

I lead AI and innovation at a law firm, building the tools attorneys use and the governance that keeps them safe to rely on.

Todd running a race with his daughter Addie
Todd speaking on a conference panel
Todd's daughters Lily and Addie
The Friedlich family
Todd with his daughter
Todd in Chicago
Todd with family
Projects

Things I build

Away from work, I build software for myself at home. Small systems that take context seriously and make a call instead of just showing me data, which lately have grown into one platform I open every morning. A few of them:

  • A morning brief that filters itself

    I follow six legal and AI sources. On a busy week that is well over a hundred headlines, and most of them do not matter to me in particular. So a pipeline reads them every couple of hours, scores each one against my actual work, and leaves a few lines on my morning page.

  • The workout that fits the day

    Deciding what to train on a given day is a negotiation, not a question. I have running goals and lifting goals competing for the same recovery, and some days the honest answer is to rest. The inputs that should drive that call are scattered across everything else here.

  • Recommendations that have to earn it

    Most recommenders treat every suggestion as a one-shot guess. I wanted one that earns trust over time, and only acts on its own once it has proven its picks were worth my time.

See how they work

Career

Professional Experience

Over two decades of hands-on leadership in legal technology, from development and architecture to firmwide innovation strategy.

  1. 2026 – Present

    Director of AI & Innovation

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher

    Leading the firm's AI program and a team of Innovation Engineers who build and deploy new capabilities across the practice. Responsible firmwide for adoption of the AI stack, from training and workflow design through governance, making attorneys and staff meaningfully more efficient in the work they already do.

  2. 2021 – 2026

    Director of Knowledge Management & Practice Innovation

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher

    Leading firmwide knowledge and AI strategy, integrating automation, enablement, and adoption under a unified vision.

  3. 2020 – 2021

    Senior Manager of Collaborative and Innovative Technologies

    Ropes & Gray LLP

    Sought out creative opportunities to apply new technologies and existing infrastructure to improve attorney and staff productivity.

  4. 2016 – 2020

    Senior Manager of KM Technology and Innovation

    Ropes & Gray LLP

    Partnered with business and IT leadership to design technical solutions that drove profitability, access to information, and collaboration.

Show earlier roles (5 more)

  1. 2011 – 2016

    Manager of Application Development

    Ropes & Gray LLP

    Led a team of developers, designers, and a solutions architect building legal business applications.

  2. 2008 – 2011

    Manager of Knowledge Management Technology

    Ropes & Gray LLP

    Combined legal, KM, and technical skills to establish relationships and address firmwide KM technology needs.

  3. 2001 – 2008

    Lead Developer

    Shearman & Sterling LLP

    Built Lotus Notes, J2EE, and SharePoint solutions for attorneys and staff.

  4. 2000 – 2001

    Senior Lotus Notes/Domino Developer

    Morgan Stanley

    Developed Lotus Notes applications for investment bankers.

  5. 1998 – 2000

    Lotus Notes/Domino Developer & Webmaster

    PricewaterhouseCoopers

    Managed the firm's premier tax extranet site and built Domino-based web applications.

Speaking

Speaking Engagements

Regular speaker on legal technology, AI adoption, and knowledge strategy at leading industry events, including ILTA, Law.com LegalWeek, and IPMA.

  • 2026

    Sandpiper Partners, Chicago

    Panelist, How AI is Transforming Law Firm Operations Roundtable

    Panelist on AI and the Revenue Cycle and on Supporting Law Firm Operations, with a cross-industry group of CFOs, pricing, and KM leaders. Discussed applying AI upstream of the practice and across firm operations, and framing the investment around value rather than cost.

  • 2024

    ALM | Law.com LegalWeek

    Transforming the Present — How AI and ML are Changing Legal Knowledge Management

  • 2018

    International Legal Technology Association (ILTA)

    New Frontiers in Enterprise Search

Show earlier engagements (4 more)

  • 2017

    International Legal Technology Association (ILTA)

    The Future of Search in Law Firms

  • 2016

    International Legal Technology Association (ILTA)

    Alternative Email Arrangements to Reduce the Clutter

  • 2010

    International Paralegal Management Association (IPMA)

    Using SharePoint as a Collaborative Tool

  • 2009

    International Legal Technology Association (ILTA)

    Integrating Data from Disparate Systems for Marketing & BD

    Also: Marketing Technology Roundtable

Contact

Say hello

Want to talk legal tech, AI adoption, or knowledge strategy? Send a note.