Do you know your law department’s tech priorities?
Not sure.
D.
Yes, but that map is out of date.
C.
No.
B.
Yes.
A.
1.
Do you have a legal technology roadmap for your department? That's a multi-year plan of new tech needs based on department priorities.
N/A; we’re doing things manually a lot of the time.
D.
Not great; it’s better than nothing but has major flaws.
C.
Pretty good; it covers the basics but there are some gaps.
B.
Perfect. It does everything we need.
A.
How well does your current legal tech handle your needs?
2.
Everyone wishes we had a better intake system for matters.
D.
Execs want better reporting on our spend and matters.
C.
Sales thinks we’re too slow and opaque on contracts.
B.
We can’t stand using AP’s system for invoices.
A.
What friction do you find when working with other departments?
3.
I don’t do legal research.
D.
Skeptical. I have no confidence in AI and am actively avoiding it.
C.
Tentative. I have some concerns, and I’d like to see how lawyers are using it responsibly.
B.
Eager. Bring on augmented intelligence and less time reading cases (When I trust the source).
A.
What’s your opinion on using generative AI tools for legal research?
4.
A mix of the above.
D.
We send all unfamiliar matters to outside counsel.
C.
We hire for new expertise when we need it.
B.
We use know-how content to help attorneys flex into new practice areas.
A.
How does your department handle matters that are outside your attorneys’ expertise?
5.
We don’t measure or monitor this.
D.
We address violations of billing guidelines only when they are egregious.
C.
Manual review and communication.
B.
Our spend management system alerts us and reports trends.
A.
How do you assess whether outside firms stay on budget for your matters?
6.
Any of the above, depending on the matter type or cost.
D.
I could be called on for an update on any matter at any time.
C.
Matter-specific updates as they reach major milestones like a court filing or new M&A phase.
B.
Regular updates, either monthly or weekly, on all ongoing matters.
A.
How frequently do you need to update your business partners on the status of a matter?
7.
Not sure, everything feels like a priority.
E.
Getting up to speed on new matters and types of work.
D.
Legal research — especially knowing when the answer is good enough.
C.
Managing invoices, budgets, and rate increases for Outside Counsel Spend.
B.
Drafting, tracking, managing contracts.
A.
What type of work gives your legal team the most frustration?
8.
Streamline your contract management
You have a significant opportunity to streamline your processes and provide even greater value to the business with a Contract Management system. Consider a system that provides full contract lifecycle management so you can make drafting and signature easier, and get useful analytics across your contract portfolio.
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Measure your spend management
Outside counsel spend is an area of concern for a lot of law departments, but you can manage it — if you measure it. Implement a spend management system that enforces billing guidelines for you, assesses your timekeeper rates against local benchmarks, and helps you communicate trends to stakeholders.
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Choose the right legal research platform
It’s inefficient to send every legal query out to outside counsel — but your team doesn’t do regular legal research. Choose an AI-enabled legal research platform that makes it easy to understand current law, even on specific conditions or jurisdictions, and even when your attorneys’ research skills are a bit rusty.
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Find the right
No attorney can be an expert in every area of law. But all attorneys can stretch into new areas of law when they have the right resources. Legal know-how tools that are written by lawyers at the top of their practice areas can help your department deliver broader services to the business and develop your team.
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Chart your legal tech roadmap
We get it. When you’re always fighting fires, you can’t find time to map out your ideal state for the department, much less decide what to change first. Creating a Legal Tech Roadmap for your department would be a great next step for you. And if you already have one, it could be time to revisit it.
