Legal Tech for Internal Legal Departments

Asks/Offers/Recommendations?
#1

Would love to hear advice from all sides about:

  1. The best, highest value legal tech for in-house lawyers and legal departments (share your tips and success stories!); and
  2. Tips on how to drive adoption among in-house lawyers, and how to build a business case for legal tech when pitching to what can be a skeptical audience.
#2

This could be a great thread. (May need to wait for the broader audience to be invited in for it to really take off.) I, personally, am keen to hear feedback/war stories about CLM systems.

2 Likes
#3

This is such a crucial and timely discussion! As someone deeply involved in legal operations and technology, I’ve seen these challenges firsthand.

For the highest-value legal tech for in-house teams, I’d definitely highlight:

  • Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM): Beyond just storage, a good CLM streamlines drafting, negotiation, approval workflows, and most importantly, contract renewals. It’s a huge win for efficiency and risk management.
  • e-Discovery & Litigation Hold Tools: Especially for larger departments, these are indispensable for managing data volumes and ensuring compliance.
  • Matter Management & Legal Project Management (LPM) Platforms: These provide centralized visibility over all legal work, improving resource allocation and predictability. A good example of this kind of platform is MatterSuite - Legal Matter Management Software.
  • Knowledge Management Systems: Crucial for capturing institutional knowledge, precedents, and frequently asked questions, preventing repetitive work and ensuring consistency.

Regarding driving adoption and building a business case for a skeptical audience:

  • Focus on the “WIIFM” (What’s In It For Me?): This is paramount. Instead of talking about “efficiency for the department,” frame it as “This tool will reduce your time spent on X by Y hours a week, freeing you up for more strategic work.” Show them how it directly benefits their day-to-day.
  • Identify Internal Champions: Find those early adopters within the team who are open to new tools. Get them on board, let them experience the benefits, and then empower them to evangelize to their peers. Peer-to-peer influence is incredibly powerful.
  • Start Small & Show Incremental Wins: Don’t try to roll out everything at once. Pick one specific pain point, implement a solution for it, and then showcase the tangible results. Small victories build momentum and trust.
  • Quantify the Benefits: This is where the “business case” comes in. Can you quantify saved hours, reduced external counsel spend, mitigated risk (e.g., avoiding a missed deadline, better compliance), or even improved client satisfaction internally? Data speaks volumes to leadership.
  • Robust Training & Ongoing Support: Often overlooked, but critical. Provide user-friendly training sessions, quick-start guides, and easily accessible support channels. Tech adoption rarely sticks if users feel abandoned after launch.

It’s a journey, not a sprint, but the payoff in terms of efficiency, risk mitigation, and strategic impact for in-house legal can be immense.