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Enterprise tech adoption in legal: what GCs need to know

In today’s business landscape, enterprise tech adoption is no longer driven by CIOs and CTOs. General Counsels are stepping into a more transformative role — shaping how legal technology supports faster risk mitigation, smarter contract velocity, and strategic legal service delivery at scale.

Alicia Kearns

March 29, 2025

CONTENTS

Legal tech strategy matters
Enterprise tech expectations
Tech adoption is strategic

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GCs are no longer just stewards of compliance — they’re being asked to lead digital transformation inside one of the most complex and risk-sensitive functions in the business.

Why legal tech strategy matters more than ever

Across industries, legal functions are under pressure to keep up with the broader digital transformation agenda. Many teams have responded by implementing a variety of individual tools — intake systems, eSignature platforms, and contract repositories — to address immediate challenges.

But without a cohesive, long-term tech strategy, these solutions can quickly lead to complexity, low adoption, and limited impact. It’s not about thinking bigger for the sake of it — it’s about ensuring technology choices are sustainable, scalable, and aligned to how legal teams work and deliver value.

Here are five common pitfalls GCs should be aware of — and why taking a more strategic, long-term approach to legal tech is essential to meet today’s enterprise expectations.

1. Integration gets harder over time

Quick-fix tools rarely integrate well down the line. Each one creates a silo — fracturing data and creating more work for already stretched teams. As new tools are layered into the ecosystem, interoperability becomes more complex and costly, often requiring manual workarounds or expensive integrations.

2. Poor user adoption undermines ROI

If tools don’t fit legal’s actual workflows — or demand too much behavioral change — usage drops. Legal teams revert to email, spreadsheets, or manual processes. As a result, tech investments fail to deliver their intended impact.

3. Mounting costs and shallow value

Budget-friendly tools can appear attractive, but their limitations often surface quickly. As requirements evolve, teams are forced to buy additional tools or upgrade to more complex systems, creating redundancy and budget overruns.

4. Scalability is non-negotiable

Legal teams are not static. They grow with the business — adding headcount, expanding into new geographies, or increasing service expectations. Solutions that can’t scale quickly become barriers to growth and agility.

5. Isolated data = missed opportunities

Legal teams now have access to performance data that can influence business decisions. But when tools don’t talk to each other, the full picture is lost. Disconnected systems prevent meaningful reporting, strategic forecasting, and data-driven decision-making.

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Learn how

Enterprise tech expectations have changed

1. Legal is expected to modernise — fast

Across the enterprise, every function is digitising. Legal must keep pace.

General Counsels are being asked to lead adoption of technologies that deliver:

Contract standardisation and automation
Data-driven compliance tracking
Scalable, AI-powered risk reviews
Workflow integration across sales, finance, and procurement

With Plexus: Legal matches enterprise speed — without overextending capacity or compromising control.

2. AI is accelerating — but must be operationalised

Enterprise AI is evolving rapidly — but in Legal, real value only comes when AI is embedded into daily workflows.

With Plexus: AI isn’t theoretical. It works where lawyers work — flagging clause deviations, auto-routing approvals, and enabling triage with real-time insights and legal oversight.

3. Integration is expected — but complexity must be managed

Legal must connect with systems like Salesforce, SAP, and Workday. But integration can’t be a barrier to progress.

With Plexus: You start with impact — then layer in interoperability. Each module delivers standalone value, while aligning with enterprise architecture.

4. Adoption is the real differentiator

Legal tech isn’t new. What separates successful teams is not what they buy — it’s what they use.

With Plexus: We build for adoption from day one, designing intuitive, workflow-aligned experiences that legal teams actually use and rely on.

5. Enterprise expectations are rising

In a post-digital business, Legal is expected to deliver ROI, operate with speed, and reduce manual work — just like any other high-functioning department.

With Plexus: Legal teams demonstrate measurable value in weeks: faster deal velocity, lower external spend, greater self-service, and less low-value admin.

Tech adoption is not optional — it’s strategic

This shift isn’t just about technology — it’s about operating like a modern function. That means aligning with enterprise expectations, adopting fit-for-purpose tools, and building a legal function that delivers more, with less.

Plexus exists to make that shift achievable. We help General Counsels embed technology that drives adoption, reduces risk, and delivers operational ROI — without slowing down the business.