How AI Is Transforming Legal Due Diligence and Software Development | Ep 292 | DevReady Podcast

In this episode of the DevReady Podcast, Anthony Sapountzis, CTO and Co-Founder of Aerion Technologies and Co-Founder of DevReady.Ai , is joined by Justin Hansky, Founder and CEO of Deeligence, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the legal industry, software development and professional services. Drawing on his background as an M&A lawyer, Justin shares how his firsthand experience in mergers and acquisitions inspired the creation of Deeligence, an AI-powered platform designed to streamline legal due diligence and accelerate complex business transactions. The discussion covers the evolution of legal technology, the rise of generative AI in legal workflows, and the growing importance of human oversight in AI-assisted decision-making.

Justin explains how legal due diligence has evolved from physical boardrooms filled with boxes of documents into highly digitised environments containing thousands of files that must be analysed quickly and accurately. He discusses how Deeligence initially focused on solving project management inefficiencies within legal teams before the rapid advancement of generative AI transformed the company’s direction. Anthony and Justin unpack the challenges involved in processing large-scale legal documentation, including token limits, retrieval systems, context management and hallucinated outputs. They also explore why AI systems still require carefully structured workflows, domain expertise and legal-specific training to deliver reliable and commercially valuable results.

The conversation also examines how AI is changing the nature of professional work across both law and software development. Anthony shares how DevReady.ai | AI-Powered App Planning for Non-Tech Founders uses AI as an ideation and planning tool for software specifications, while Justin explains why experienced lawyers and developers are often best positioned to leverage AI effectively. Both speakers highlight the importance of review skills, critical thinking and human judgement as repetitive tasks become increasingly automated. They discuss the concept of “vibe coding”, the risks of poorly structured AI-generated software, and the growing need for strategic planning when building scalable systems.

Anthony and Justin also address one of the biggest questions facing white-collar industries: how AI will impact the next generation of professionals. Justin reflects on whether junior lawyers and developers will lose valuable learning opportunities as traditional grunt work becomes automated, while Anthony highlights the growing divide between people actively working with AI systems and those who have only experimented with them briefly. The discussion explores how law firms may need to rethink their traditional hiring and training models as AI tools become more capable, while still recognising that human accountability remains essential in high-stakes legal and commercial environments.

Towards the end of the episode, Justin shares Deeligence’s long-term vision to fully streamline the entire due diligence lifecycle, from requesting documents and coordinating legal teams through to generating detailed final reports. He explains how embedding expert legal knowledge into AI systems allows businesses and law firms to focus on the most critical risks and strategic decisions during acquisitions. Anthony and Justin agree that AI will continue to improve at an extraordinary pace, creating major shifts across legal services, software engineering and business operations. The episode provides valuable insight into how AI-powered workflows are changing the way professionals think, collaborate and deliver outcomes in highly specialised industries.

#AI #LegalTech #SoftwareDevelopment #DevReadyPodcast #ArtificialIntelligence #AerionTechnologies