Independent
I don't sell or resell any tool I train on, so the advice is only about what works for your firm, including when the answer is to wait.
Steve Smith, legal AI consultant and trainer
I ran companies before I trained lawyers.
Former CEO, CFO, and SVP. Wharton MBA. Independent of every AI vendor. I test every major model the week it ships and write about what it means for law firms.
For 25 years I was a CEO, CFO, and SVP at technology companies. I managed P&Ls, built global teams, made the hard ROI calls, and answered to boards. I hold an MBA from Wharton.
I started Intelligence by Intent because law firms were being sold AI faster than anyone was showing them how to use it well. What was missing wasn't the technology. It was practical guidance that fits how lawyers actually work: the ethics rules, the billable hour, the partnership.
So I start with the business problem, not the tool. I've sat where a managing partner sits: the skeptical team, the budget conversation, the question of what the investment returned. I've written 305 articles since 2023, and I don't sell or resell any of the tools I train on.
How I work
Four things you can hold me to.
The business problem first
I start with cost, risk, and partner dynamics, then choose the tool. That's the order a managing partner has to answer to.
Tested before recommended
I test every major model from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and xAI the week it ships, and write up what changed for law firms.
Your lawyers keep the judgment
I'm not an attorney. I make the tools, the processes, and the training useful to your lawyers. The legal judgment stays with them.
Credentials
The short version.
- Name
- Steve Smith (Stephen M. Smith on bar association and AAML programs)
- Education
- MBA, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. BBA, Loyola Marymount University
- Career
- 25+ years in business leadership: CFO of TSIA, SVP of Revenue Operations at 8x8, Partner at TCG Advisors, and an executive at IBM Global Business Services
- Training
- 3,500+ attorneys trained, across firms and bar associations
- Work
- 200+ legal AI use cases developed
- Speaking
- AAML, BHBA, LACBA, SFVBA, California Lawyers Association, and myLawCLE with the Federal Bar Association
- Writing
- “The Family Lawyer’s Field Guide to AI,” Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (invited, forthcoming), and 300+ articles since 2023
Who I work with
Best fit.
Managing partners at 10 to 100 attorney firms
Who need partner buy-in before investing in AI, and a plan sized for a firm that size, not for BigLaw.
COOs fielding "what should we do about AI?"
From associates and partners, daily, and who want a clear answer.
Litigation teams with a matter that turns on a large record
Who need the analysis done, and checked, before a deadline.
Bar associations and conferences
Planning keynotes or CLE that go beyond vendor pitches to work lawyers can use.
Let's talk
Where would you like to start?
Tell me what your firm is trying to do. In a 30-minute conversation, I'll help you identify a useful starting point and whether I'm the right person to help.
Prefer to reach me directly? steve@intelligencebyintent.com (805) 876-4847
Please don't include confidential client information in an email.