Legaltech governance latest: New Akerman head, EU AI Act warning, & BARBRI AI adoption findings. * August 7, 2026 AI governance and competency are firmly in the spotlight this week. Akerman has created a new AI governance leadership role, appointing Michael Adler; the property sector is warning about the impact of EU AI Act transparency requirements; and a new BARBRI report highlights a significant gap in AI readiness, with most law firms still lacking a formal AI competency framework. Akerman creates AI governance leadership role US law firm Akerman has appointed Michael Adler as director of AI governance and data protection within Akerman Intelligence, as well as a partner in its Corporate Practice Group. The newly created role reflects Akerman's view that attention is shifting from AI adoption to AI governance, particularly as organisations begin to deploy increasingly autonomous AI systems. Adler will work with Akerman's leadership team to develop governance and oversight frameworks for AI across the firm while also advising clients on AI governance, data protection, technology transactions and international AI regulation. Akerman chairman and CEO Scott Meyers said the appointment comes as organisations face new questions around governance for agentic AI systems. Adler joins from software company Highspot, where he led global data privacy and AI initiatives, having previously held legal roles at Autodesk and Amazon. While many law firms have focused on deploying generative AI tools, Akerman's move highlights a growing recognition that governance, accountability and risk management are immediate strategic priorities. Property sector warns over EU AI Act transparency requirements Hundreds of thousands of businesses are at risk of misinterpreting Article 50 of the EU AI Act, say VerbaFlo and Homes For Students. Article 50, which came into force on 2 August, establishes transparency requirements for certain AI systems, including those that interact directly with consumers or generate synthetic content. The paper, The EU AI Act, Article 50: What Businesses Need to Know Right Now, examines how the requirements apply across marketing, operations and resident engagement activities. The guidance focuses on three areas: the allocation of responsibility between AI providers and organisations deploying AI systems; transparency obligations related to design choices and AI-generated content; and the need to assess high-risk AI use cases beyond customer-facing applications. Although the paper is aimed at the property sector, many of the issues it raises will resonate with legal organisations grappling with AI regulation. The whitepaper is here: https://www.verbaflo.ai/stories/the-eu-ai-act-article-50-what-businesses-need-to-know-right-now BARBRI report highlights AI adoption gap New research from BARBRI Professional Education suggests that law firms are deploying AI tools faster than they are measuring their impact on lawyer behaviour and business performance. While the research is pitched at the need for L&D and training (BARBRI's sweet spot) it shows that no firm has built the AI competency framework its associate pipeline needs. While this is a training requirement, it's also a governance issue. The report, Driving Change and ROI: Uniting Three Teams to Lead Law Firms into the Future, is based on interviews with 10 leaders across nine firms and examines the relationship between learning and development, knowledge management and innovation teams. Among its findings, the report concludes that firms generally understand who has activated AI tools but have limited visibility into whether those tools are changing the way lawyers work. It also finds that while collaboration between innovation and L&D is improving, it's still fragile, with one L&D director telling researchers: "Either there are too many cooks in the kitchen, or nobody is managing it. It's feast or famine." BARBRI co-chief executive Lucie Allen said firms that succeed over the coming years will need to move beyond technology deployment and focus on frameworks, incentives and measurement.

Allego vs Highspot in 2026: which sales enablement platform actually moves revenue? TL;DR: Allego excels at video coaching and rep readiness. Highspot leads in content management and search. Both are strong enablement platforms, but neither coaches reps in real time on live calls. If your priority is changing how reps actually sell (not just what content they find), you need a different approach entirely. Why this comparison matters right now. Sales enablement spending hit $3.4 billion in 2025, and most of that budget went to platforms that organize content. The problem? Reps still fumble objections on live calls, forget to multi-thread, and lose deals they should win. Content libraries don't fix execution gaps. If you're evaluating Allego and Highspot, you're likely a VP of Sales or enablement leader at a Series A through D company trying to figure out which platform will actually improve win rates. This breakdown covers what each tool does well, where each falls short, and what the data says about a third option worth considering. Allego: video coaching and rep readiness. Allego started as a mobile-first sales learning platform and has grown into a full enablement suite. Its core strength is video-based coaching and practice: reps record pitch attempts, managers review and score them, and the team builds a library of best-practice examples. Key capabilities: * Content hub with AI-powered recommendations * Video practice and coaching with peer review * Learning paths and structured onboarding programs * Digital sales rooms for buyer engagement * Conversation intelligence (bolt-on acquisition, not native) Pricing: Enterprise-tier, typically $50 to $100+ per user per month depending on which modules you select. Video coaching, conversation intelligence, and digital sales rooms are often separate add-ons. For a full breakdown, see its Allego pricing guide for 2026. Where Allego shines: If your biggest problem is onboarding new reps or getting consistent messaging across a distributed team, Allego's video practice features are genuinely useful. Managers can asynchronously review pitches and provide feedback without scheduling live sessions. Where Allego struggles: The UI feels dated in places. Conversation intelligence was bolted on through acquisition, so it doesn't feel native. There's no real-time call coaching. Implementation is heavy, and the modular pricing means costs escalate quickly once you add the features you actually need. If you're exploring options, check its best Allego alternatives for 2026. Highspot: content management and analytics. Highspot has positioned itself as the premier content management layer for sales teams. Its AI-powered search helps reps find the right deck, case study, or battle card in seconds. The analytics engine tracks which content actually gets used and which pieces correlate with closed deals. Key capabilities: * AI-powered content search and recommendations * Sales plays and playbook management * Digital sales rooms with buyer engagement tracking * Content performance analytics and scorecards * Training and coaching modules (content-focused) * Strong CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics) Pricing: Enterprise pricing, typically $40 to $75+ per user per month. Highspot has raised over $600M in funding and prices accordingly. Discounts are rare for smaller teams. For alternatives, see its best Highspot alternatives for 2026. Where Highspot shines: Content management is best-in-class. If your sales team wastes hours hunting for the right materials, Highspot fixes that fast. The analytics that tie content usage to deal outcomes are genuinely valuable for enablement leaders who need to justify their budget. Where Highspot struggles: Coaching capabilities are content-focused, not call-focused. There's no real-time guidance during live conversations. Conversation intelligence is limited. Setup is complex, and the platform is expensive for teams under 100 reps. It solves the "find the right content" problem but doesn't address the "say the right thing on the call" problem. Allego vs Highspot: head-to-head comparison. Key differences that actually matter. Content vs. Coaching. This is the fundamental split. Highspot and Allego both answer the question: "How do I get the right content to reps?" That's a real problem, but it's not the problem that costs you deals. Deals are won and lost on calls, not in content libraries. Neither platform tells a rep what to say when a prospect raises a surprise objection about pricing or a competitor. For a deeper look at how AI sales coaching tools are evolving, Coach Pilot has written a full guide. Pricing model. Allego's modular approach means your initial quote rarely reflects what you'll actually pay. Conversation intelligence, digital sales rooms, and advanced analytics are often separate line items. Highspot is simpler but still enterprise-priced. For a 50-person sales team, expect $30K to $60K annually for Highspot, or $30K to $60K+ for Allego depending on modules selected. Real-Time vs. After-the-Fact. Both platforms offer post-call analysis in some form. Neither offers real-time coaching during live conversations. That gap matters most for newer reps and for any rep facing an unfamiliar objection or competitor. Post-call feedback is useful but it can't save the deal you just lost. Check its conversation intelligence software guide for more on this distinction. Implementation complexity. Both Allego and Highspot require significant setup. Content migration, taxonomy creation, integration configuration, and user training typically take 8 to 16 weeks for a full rollout. Teams looking for faster time-to-value often find the onboarding process frustrating, especially when the immediate need is improving call performance rather than reorganizing a content library. Where both platforms fall short. The enablement market has focused heavily on content management because it's a measurable, visible problem. But the real revenue gap is in execution: what happens during the actual sales conversation. Neither Allego nor Highspot provides: * Live, real-time guidance during sales calls * Automated CRM updates based on conversation outcomes * Deal forecasting driven by conversation signals (not rep self-reporting) * Dedicated human coaching from experts who understand your specific ICP These gaps explain why teams invest in enablement platforms and still see inconsistent quota attainment. The content is there. The training is there. But the in-the-moment support is missing. For a broader look at the sales enablement platform landscape, Coach Pilot has mapped out the full category. Why revenue-focused teams are adding Ricavi. Ricavi takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of organizing content, it focuses on the moment that matters most: the live sales conversation. What Ricavi does differently: * Real-time coaching during live calls with whisper-mode guidance that helps reps handle objections, reference battle cards, and follow custom playbooks in the moment * Automatic CRM updates that sync meeting notes, action items, and deal data without reps lifting a finger * In-house ICP experts who design custom sales processes and playbooks based on decades of sales leadership experience * Weekly private coaching sessions with dedicated sales experts who review calls and provide hands-on guidance * AI-powered forecasting based on actual conversation signals, not just pipeline stage or rep gut feel Some teams use Ricavi alongside Highspot or Allego: the enablement platform handles content, and Ricavi handles live coaching and deal execution. Others find that Ricavi's approach replaces the need for a separate enablement platform entirely, especially teams under 200 reps where content management complexity is lower. Explore more in its best sales coaching software for 2026 roundup. Final recommendation: which tool fits your team? Choose Allego if: Your primary challenge is onboarding and rep readiness. You need video-based practice and asynchronous coaching. You have the budget for modular add-ons and a 10+ week implementation timeline. Choose Highspot if: Content chaos is your biggest bottleneck. Your reps waste time searching for materials, and you need world-class content analytics. You have 100+ reps and an enterprise budget. Choose Ricavi if: You want to improve what happens on actual sales calls. Your reps know where the content is but still struggle with live objections, competitive positioning, and deal execution. You value real-time coaching over content management and want dedicated human experts who understand your market. The bottom line. Allego and Highspot are both strong enablement platforms, but they solve for content access and rep training, not for live call performance. If your team's win rates are stuck despite having great content, the gap is in real-time execution support, not another content library. "Coach Pilot is the AI sales platform that coaches your team in real time. Our customers see 7.8x pipeline growth in under 90 days." David Fastuca CEO & Co-Founder