For the last decade, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking at the Texas Bar’s Advanced Trial Strategies program in New Orleans, orchestrated by my friend and brilliant lawyer-empresario, Claude Ducloux of Austin. Over the years, I’ve presented on demonstrative evidence, e-discovery, and lately, AI and LLMs in trial practice. My frequent co-presenter is U.S. District Judge Xavier “XRod” Rodriguez, one of the most sensible and influential judicial voices on AI. We make a good team because we sometimes respectfully disagree, and our friendship affords me a bit more latitude in dissent than might otherwise be wise when sharing a stage with a federal judge.

I’m especially fond of the program because it lets me share a singular New Orleans tradition with my Texas colleagues: the Second Line Parade. After a decade in this city, even I can forget how remarkable it is—until I see the joy and astonishment on the faces of first-timers. A Second Line is a private parade led by a brass band and Grand Marshal, with a police escort closing the streets. This year, the famous Royal and Bourbon Streets were shut down for about 100 of us Texas lawyers. For eight years, I’ve co-sponsored our French Quarter Second Line with Tex-ABOTA and others. We add a Mardi Gras flourish by handing out beads along the route, and before long, strangers are smiling and falling in behind the band.

But I’m straying from my reason for writing—a simple tip for sharpening your AI skills that I shared in the CLE.

In just three years, I’ve watched lawyers move from no exposure to AI to daily use. Yet most still haven’t taken advantage of one of its most powerful features: natural, spoken interaction. With a decent internet connection, ChatGPT can be a conversational partner—the smartest “person” in any room …or vehicle.

So here’s the tip. The next time you find yourself driving with time to spare, open the ChatGPT app, connect hands-free to your car’s sound system, and just talk. Test an argument. Explore your theory of a case. Plan your next vacation or wander into history or science if you like. That daily hour of spoken engagement is the fastest way I know to build comfort and fluency with tools that are reshaping our craft.

Like a good Second Line, you don’t really get it until you step off the curb and join in.