It was 20 years ago that two Covington & Burling associates, Ed Walters and Phil Rosenthal, made the audacious move of quitting their jobs and launching the legal research company Fastcase. Their goal was to democratize the law through affordable pricing and smarter technology. Two decades later, that once-scrappy company is now a major player in the legal research market.

At the recent annual conference of the American Association of Law Libraries, Walters and Rosenthal — now CEO and president respectively — sat down for a live interview with LawNext host Bob Ambrogi. They recount the beginnings of their company, its growth over the intervening 20 years, and their successes and mistakes over the years. They also offer predictions for where Fastcase and legal research will be in another 20 years.

This episode of LawNext was produced and recorded in collaboration with the Legal Talk Network. A big thanks to them for partnering with us on this podcast.

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Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.