The $6B Wake-Up Call: Why Smartphones Just Became the Hottest Risk and Career in Legal

Dec 18, 2025

Regulators finally caught up to how business actually happens: over text, WhatsApp, and mobile apps. In this year-end conversation, David Cowen sits down with Matt Rasmussen, Founder of ModeOne, to unpack why off-channel mobile data has become a $6B compliance problem and a massive opportunity for legal, IT, and ops professionals. Listeners will walk away with a clear view of where regulation is heading, where talent demand is exploding, and how to future-proof a legal career without chasing hype.

Key Topics Covered

• Why email, Slack, and Teams are no longer enough to satisfy regulators and what replaces them
• The regulatory shift driving mobile collection at unprecedented scale (from 12 phones to 10,000+)
• The hidden “tax” of smartphone non-compliance, including billions in fines and stranded hardware
• How remote, scoped mobile collection reduces privacy risk while increasing defensibility
• Where talent demand is surging most: corporate legal, legal ops, and forensic hybrid roles
• How to use the “12% AI dividend” to pivot into high-growth forensic and compliance work
• A practical weekend playbook for upskilling: case law, OS changes, and encryption updates

Special Shoutout: 

• Scott Milner – Recognized for bridging deep technical expertise with practical leadership in eDiscovery and regulatory strategy
• Greg Mazares – ModeOne board member and trusted mentor, shaping how technology is applied to real client problems
• Jerry Bui (Purpose) – Cited for his perspective on the growing importance of forensics in modern legal workflows
• Nathaniel Whittemore – Host of The AI Daily Brief, referenced for framing the MIT insight on task-level automation
• Joseph Pochron – Nardello, recommended as a future guest for his visibility into corporate investigations and compliance
• Anthony Cardine  – O’Melveny & Myers, highlighted for his leadership at the intersection of eDiscovery, paralegal teams, and operational change

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💡To learn more about the future of legal innovation, visit https://cowengroup.com/

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