Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode – February 17, 2026
Alaska has quietly become a brave path-finder in court-based artificial intelligence. Last month, the state released the Alaska Virtual Assistant (AVA), an AI chatbot designed to help court users navigate the probate court system. The path to launch, however, was anything but smooth. Delays piled up, expectations collided with reality, and media coverage has been more skeptical than supportive. So, what actually happened behind the scenes?
This month, we sit down with Alaska’s court leaders to explore their bold new initiative, AVA, an innovative tool designed to help court users navigate the complexities of probate. We look beyond the headlines to examine what Alaska learned from launching AI in the courts, the challenges they encountered, and the lessons every court should consider before embarking on a similar journey.
Today’s Moderator:
Roger Rand, Technology Manager, Multnomah County Circuit Court, Portland, Oregon, Current Vice President, National Association for Court Management.
Today’s Panel:
Jeannie Sato, Director of Access to Justice Services, Alaska State Court System,
Aubrie Souza, Principal Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts,
Tom Martin, Founder and CEO of the legal technology & artificial intelligence firm LawDroid
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Leave a question or comment about the episode at clapodcast@nacmnet.org.
Show Notes
Roger Rand
Roger Rand attended his first NACM conference at the 2009 midyear in Portland, Oregon. A conversation on Ethics caught his attention and he learned how much NACM has to offer. He joined the NACM Board of Directors in 2021, served as the NACM Secretary/Treasurer in 2024, and was selected as the NACM Vice President in 2025.
Roger Rand is a member of the Multnomah Circuit Court management team in Portland, Oregon where he has worked for 30 years. He manages an Information Technology team of 27 professionals in the 4 service areas of Desktop Support, Specialized IT Services, IT Design and Development, and Training and Data Analysis. Roger was appointed as a NACM representative to the Joint Technology Committee in 2018. In 2024 he was appointed as the NACM representative on the Global Advisory Committee. Roger worked as a member of the 2019 JTC workgroup on AI that resulted in a publication Introduction to AI for the Courts that was revised this year. Roger and the JTC Co-Chairs with the support of NCSC led a multi-association collaborative effort to produce the NACM AI Guide, Courting AI: Understanding Artificial Intelligence in Courts.
Aubrie Souza
Aubrie Souza is a Principal Court Management Consultant at the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), specializing in the intersection of technology, process improvement, and access to justice. Her work includes improving legal information delivery, user-friendly court forms, guided interviews, chatbots, and tools for hybrid and remote hearings, focusing on supporting self-represented litigants and enhancing online accessibility. She has led user experience initiatives to ensure court processes are more approachable and effective for all.
Jeannie Sato
Jeannie Sato is a Director of Access to Justice Services at Statewide Court in Anchorage, Alaska. She has been with Statewide Court for two years, starting in 2021. Jeannie graduated from the University of California, Davis School of Law in 1994 and clerked for both the Alaska Supreme Court and the Alaska Court of Appeals. She has also worked as a Project Director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA and managed a legal intake unit providing assistance to limited English proficient callers. Jeannie is a member of the Alaska Native Law section and the Family Law section of the Alaska Bar Association. Her professional experience includes family law, mediation, divorce, separation, and advocacy for taxpayers.
Tom Martin
Tom Martin is a multifaceted individual with a diverse background in law, technology, and education. As the founder and CEO of LawDroid, he leads a company that is at the forefront of legal technology, offering AI tools to streamline legal workflows and enhance client communication. Martin's journey from practicing law to creating LawDroid reflects his commitment to transforming the legal industry through innovative technology. He is also an adjunct professor at Suffolk Law School, teaching generative AI applications in legal services delivery. His work extends beyond LawDroid, as he cofounded the American Legal Technology Awards and has been recognized as an ABA Legal Rebel and Fastcase 50 Honoree. Martin's contributions to legal technology and education have made him a respected figure in the field.
