DATE: Thursday, January 21, 2027
TIME: 2:00 - 3:00pm ET/11:00am - 12:00pm PT
COST: FREE (registration is required)*
CLE CREDIT: N/A
LOCATION: Zoom link will be sent after registration
Program Summary:
As AI rapidly automates written legal work, the lawyer’s human edge is shifting toward judgment, trust, persuasion and spoken communication. In this live session, André Noël Chaker, Co-Founder & CEO of Rhetorich.ai, will show how lawyers can use AI not to replace their expertise, but to strengthen the human skills that matter most: client conversations, pitches, negotiations, courtroom advocacy, leadership communication and difficult internal and external discussions. Participants will see how AI can help legal professionals analyze, practice and improve their verbal communication through speech feedback, roleplay simulations and practical coaching. The session will explore how firms can use AI safely and responsibly to develop more confident, credible and persuasive lawyers across seniority levels and practice areas. This webinar is focused on helping lawyers become more valuable, more trusted and more human in an AI-transformed legal market.
Session Flow:
1. Opening provocation
• Written legal work is becoming automated. Spoken legal impact is becoming more valuable.
2. The new human edge for lawyers
• Critical thinking, creativity and communication remain in human hands.
3. The role AI can play in making lawyers more impactful communicators
• Speech analysis, roleplay practice and coaching for lawyers.
4. Live demonstration
• A lawyer practices a client pitch, negotiation, witness preparation or difficult partner conversation.
5. Turning soft skills into hard measurement
• Credibility, clarity, presence, persuasion, storytelling, vocal variety and audience connection.
6. Why it matters specifically to criminal defense lawyers
• Scalable development for associates, partners, business development, leadership and client-facing communication.
7. Closing idea
• The future lawyer must not only argue well but also speak with clarity, confidence and trust to win the hearts and minds of their audience.
NACDL AI Notetaker Policy
NACDL webinars often include confidential discussions and exclusive member content. To safeguard the value of this programming for all participants, the use of third-party AI notetaking tools, personal recordings, and automated transcription services is not permitted. AI notetakers and bots that enter the session will not be admitted or will be removed.
We are committed to inclusive programming and want every participant to have a meaningful experience. If you have a need that requires an accommodation, please contact us at registration@nacdl.org at least 48 hours in advance so we can make appropriate arrangements.
Faculty
André Noël Chaker
André Noël Chaker, a Canadian-born lawyer who has lived in Finland for over 20 years, is a member of the New York Bar and has worked for more than three decades at the intersection of law, leadership, business and communication. He is a two-time Speaker of the Year, bestselling author of The Finnish Miracle, and author of the forthcoming book Speak or Die – The Art and Science of Speaking in the Age of AI. Through Rhetorich.ai, André helps legal professionals strengthen the uniquely human skills that remain essential in an increasingly automated legal world: judgment, persuasion, credibility, presence and trust.
Code of Conduct
NACDL endeavors to foster a working, learning, and social environment free of harassment, discrimination, intimidation, and insult. To that end, NACDL has adopted a Code of Conduct for Affiliated Persons that applies to all attendees and participants of any kind at all NACDL sponsored events.
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