Technology Management

EARLY

• Reliance on corporate IT or third-party providers to identify and implement technology

• Limited technology deployment and user adoption

• Reliance on spreadsheets for core Legal activities such as legal hold, matter, contract, document, IP and project management, reporting, etc.

• Assessment of existing technology underway to create an initial technology roadmap.

INTERMEDIATE

• Legal coordinates with corporate IT to identify and implement technology, often with a designated liaison, project manager, and helpdesk support

• Actively leverages current technology within Legal, driving adoption and establishing some integrations across systems

• Technology roadmap focused on identifying, prioritizing, and sequencing implementations to support core legal activities

• Training ad hoc, using limited platforms

• Typical systems in place include legal hold, e-billing, basic matter management, contract, document, and IP management

• Effort underway to digitize and automate processes (e.g. legal intake and triage, workflows, NDAs)

• Regular attention to maintenance of existing systems, ensuring they are up to date and continue to be relevant and compliant with regulations

• Enhancements are reactive, in response to ad hoc requests or systems failures.

   

ADVANCED

• Legal focused on aligning business processes across the enterprise using technology

• Longer-term (five-year) technology roadmap; benchmarked and adapted as environment changes

• Process in place for research, scenario planning, and piloting emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation, and natural language processing

• Technologists or legal ops leaders evaluate changes in technology and develop implementation strategies; drive continuous improvement in user adoption\

• Technologists integrated into legal operations function or provided as dedicated IT resource

• Training and user support protocols well-established and presented using various platforms

• Strong integration among systems in Legal, and as appropriate across the enterprise

• Processes automated where feasible, and roadmap includes continuing focus on automation and digital transformation

• Systems typically include legal service intake/triage, legal hold, financial (e-billing/metrics/ billing guidelines), eDiscovery, knowledge/collaboration, full contract lifecycle, matter, document, IP management, workflow automation; and applications designed to anticipate/mitigate risk (e.g. tracking new regulations, trends in consumer complaints, deficiencies identified in audits)

• Process in place to proactively consider systems enhancements, often including an ongoing user group or other mechanism to share best practices, collect feedback, and request and evaluate enhancements.

Sample Artificial Intelligence Usage Policy
This is a sample artificial intelligence policy regarding employees' use of AI tools for work purposes.

Tools and Technology - Roadmap
Tools to inventory and assess current state technology, and prioritize technology initiatives.

Tools and Technology - Technology Discussion Guide
Interview guide to assess current state technology utilization and future state requirements.

2023 Legal Technology Report for In-house Legal Professionals
This report presents the types of legal technology organizations are using and their perceived effectiveness, purchasing behavior, and top technology challenges.

Tips for Developing a Corporate AI Policy
What issues should companies consider when implementing best practices for utilizing AI in the workplace? This resource outlines issues to consider when developing a corporate AI policy.

Tools and Technology - System Implementation Project Management
Template technology implementation charter and high-level project plan.

2021 Who Uses What Legal Technology Report
Summary of the use of technology within legal departments, and facilitates conversations discussing the utility and effectiveness of the technology tools that they are using