Episode 18: Talking to the Boss of MikeOSS – Legal AI, Open Source, and the Future of Law with Will Chen (Part 1)

Will Chen shares his journey from traditional law firm practice
to creating open-source legal AI tools that challenge market
giants. We explore the state of legal AI, open-source projects
like MikeOSS, and practical advice for lawyers eager to leverage
AI responsibly and effectively.


Keywords


Legal AI, AI in the legal sector, MikeOSS, Harvey,
Legora, open source, legal tech, AI start-ups, law, technology,
AI security


 


Key topics


·        Will Chen’s
background in law and entrepreneurship


·        The creation and
viral success of MikeOSS, an open-source legal AI platform


·        The critique of
proprietary legal AI solutions like Harvey and Legora


·        The importance
of open source in democratizing legal technology


·        How AI tools are
influencing law firm operations and legal workflows


·        Practical advice
for small to medium law firms starting with AI


·        The impact of
regulations and privacy laws in different regions


·        Future trends:
AI integration, local models, and community-driven development


·        The role of vibe
coding as the new standard in software development


·        Ethical
considerations and the responsible use of AI in legal practice





Soundbites


“Earlier this year, well just about like four weeks ago,
Ireleased MikeOSS which went viral.“





“The first thing that I thought when I looked at Harvey and
Legora was ‘What? This is it?‘ Like I was genuinely shocked. So
this is worth eleven billion and five point billion respectively?
That was my first thought. My second thought was that okay, I can
probably vibe code this in two weeks.“


 


Chapters


02:00 - Introduction of Will Chen
02:44 - Will Chen’s legal background and entrepreneurial journey
with MicroSS
03:10 - The viral success of MikeOSS and its core features
04:40 - Comparing MikeOSS with other legal AI platforms like
Harvey and Legora (“Hagora“)
05:40 - The story behind the name "MikeOSS" and its playful,
open-source approach
07:20 - How existing legal AI solutions fall short and the need
for transparency
08:50 - Critique of the proprietary nature and inflated marketing
of big law AI tools
12:10 - How MikeOSS adds unique features like multi-document
edits and document tracking
12:50 - The history of LawProf and previous projects leading up
to MikeOSS
15:20 - The importance of local models and regional legal
databases for privacy compliance
17:08 - The core question: does the AI solve real pain points for
lawyers?
18:30 - How shadow AI use reflects the current product-market
mismatch
18:43 - The potential of open-source legal AI to challenge
dominant vendors


20:30 - The upcoming development of legal plugins and models from
companies like Anthropic
20:25 - The risks faced by big proprietary AI firms if they don’t
innovate
21:30 - Limitations of current enterprise AI: user experience and
practicality in law firms
22:33 - The shift from big law to in-house legal work due to
AI
24:38 - Will Chen’s viral success: community response and future
plans
26:08 – Bonus: Oxford Suitfire (Will’s Song)


Music


Oxford Suitfire (Will’s Song)


https://lofnextgen.com/music


Track 15