Legal Limelight: Matt Braunel, Partner, Thompson Coburn

Matt Braunel has been called one of the top trademark practitioners not only in Missouri, but in the United States. A partner at Thompson Coburn, Braunel is vice-chair of the firm’s intellectual property practice group. He also has developed a brand protection practice.

He is a nationally recognized attorney who is licensed to practice before the federal district courts, federal appeals courts, the International Trade Commission, the Patent and Trademark Office, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and is admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Braunel graduated magna cum laude with his juris doctor from Saint Louis University in 2001. He also holds degrees in chemistry and mathematics from Rockhurst University.

Currently, Braunel serves on Thompson Coburn’s Innovation Committee and is chair of the AI Task Force.

As chair of Thompson Coburn’s AI Task Force, how is the firm utilizing artificial intelligence in the workplace?

We believe generative AI (GenAI) tools have the potential to assist in the provision of legal services and provide value to clients. Because the technology is relatively new and rapidly evolving, we need to balance these advantages against concerns about reliability, bias and the treatment of confidential information. The firm has developed a policy around the use of GenAI tools in light of the American Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct.

Our management, innovation and technology committees evaluated a variety of options for GenAI tools. We’ve selected options from historically reliable vendors, including Thomson Reuters and Relativity. We also have engaged a national expert to assist in developing our AI roadmap. We have found GenAI tools to be useful, particularly in extracting relevant details from a large volume of information and accurately compiling, organizing and reorganizing the information for other purposes.

How do you think artificial intelligence will transform the practice of law?

GenAI may transform the practice of law in numerous ways. GenAI has the potential to dramatically improve efficiency and accuracy in tasks like document review, legal research, and potentially contract drafting. GenAI may allow lawyers to work more productively while potentially reducing costs for clients. This may be particularly true with routine tasks, allowing lawyers to focus more on high-level strategy, client relationships, and complex reasoning. Both lawyers and others supporting the practice of law will need to develop new skills to support this evolution. At present, there remain significant concerns about the reliability of GenAI, introduction of bias and treatment of confidential information.

While GenAI will undoubtedly transform many aspects of legal practice, it’s crucial to recognize that human judgment, creativity, and interpersonal skills remain indispensable. GenAI will not present arguments to human judges or juries. GenAI will not negotiate term sheets or contracts with the other side. I am skeptical that GenAI alone will be able to understand all the unique nuances of accomplishing a client’s goal. I expect the most successful lawyers of the future will effectively integrate GenAI tools into their practice while leveraging their unique reasoning capabilities.

What advice do you have for young lawyers? 

Inexperienced lawyers need to gain experience. Look for opportunities to learn about areas of the law and encounter problems and issues that you have not previously seen. Do not become too entrenched in addressing a single area of the law too early in your career. Look for opportunities to expand your horizons and find mentors who support your approach and provide guidance and supervision in different areas. Local bar associations offer specialty areas where inexperienced lawyers can find others with similar interests.

What is something that would surprise people about you? 

Before attending law school, I enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Missouri studying radiopharmaceutical chemistry and teaching general chemistry classes as a TA. Part of my work involved using radioactive isotopes manufactured at the Missouri University Research Reactor.

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