There’s a lot out there: a lot of platforms, a lot of providers, and a lot of problems to be solved. Even within the suite of solutions a single provider like Plexus offers, from legal automation to contract and matter management software, it can be daunting to navigate.
So how can you make it simple and decide where you and your team should start on the journey?
No, don’t run! There’s no new-age meditation needed.
The first thing we see is in-house lawyers still thinking about legal technology with a private practice mindset. This is dangerous and needs to be dropped: an in-house team must approach their needs from an in-house perspective.
When in private practice your firm’s primary output is legal work. Most people in the business are lawyers, so making legal work 5% more efficient directly makes the business 5% more profitable.
In-house lawyers need to think differently. Most Legal teams make up less than 1% of the organisation. Making legal work 5% more efficient might therefore equate to a 0.005% impact on the organisation. While improving legal efficiency is a worthy endeavour, it’s unlikely to get funding over other business projects.
The C‑suite will never give you budget for something that only helps Legal, but that doesn’t mean legal technology will never get executive buy-in.
Every business has clear, overarching strategic objectives, and legal functions need to position their technology projects as initiatives that will help the business grow.
The first questions you should be asking are:
What drives outcomes for the business?
Where does legal play in helping achieve these outcomes?
What are the improvements legal can make that directly impact these?
Once you have answers to these questions you can begin to narrow your search to technology platforms and providers that not only suit the needs of your function, but the broader business.