Creating transformation and developing into a legal team with data literacy
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Specialists examine effective technological implementations for the legal team.
Corporate legal departments are eager to employ technology to improve and expedite their decision-making processes. A panel of technology and law department operations experts was recently hosted to talk about the value of making data-driven decisions and some essential components of a successful technology deployment. visitors were:
- Ellen Nendorf, LPM Executive Founder
- Brendan O’Reilly, WellSpan Health’s associate general counsel
- William Sullivan works for Oracle as a Senior Legal Operations Analyst.
The importance of having a data-savvy legal team
In the respective companies, Sullivan and O’Reilly have overseen the integration products such as Legal Tracker and HighQ. Software implementation is aided by Nendorf, Han, and Costello for legal departments. They all concur that one of the main reasons people adopt new technology is access to data.
According to O’Reilly, his department was given instructions to manage the money. They needed to do it by improving their data utilization so they could spend money on outside counsel with more knowledge.
O’Reilly stated, “There was a lot of data we weren’t gathering and didn’t have any transparency on it.” “Our company’s other departments are already using data, so we wanted to be able to contribute in the same way.”The legal team demonstrated the contributions and what they were working on to the rest of the business through the use of technology.
Sullivan claimed that his group required a more capable billing system because their current one was ineffective. They can now report on savings more effectively and precisely, and they have improved rate management. “We can disseminate that information, examine it, and employ it as leverage in subsequent business dealings.”
Managing change during technology rollouts
the potential benefits of a technology that aids in data-informed work is crucial. When the implementation becomes challenging or people start to lose patience, the executive sponsor can effectively persuade them of the benefits of the change.
This also happened to Sullivan. He stated, “We had to persuade the management and attorneys that our rollout was successful.” “To get that done, a lot of handholding, talking, and persuasion were required.”
A few further suggestions for guaranteeing a successful rollout were given by the panel. Among them are the following:
Recall that these instruments reduce a substantial amount of labor, Make sure to highlight how the new system will simplify the lives of attorneys while discussing it with them.
According to Nendof, whoever is in charge of the project must comprehend the rationale for the change, explain it to users with assurance, and win over department heads to the cause.
You can impose “hard stops” to compel adoption to a certain extent says Nendorf. For example, you will eventually only be able to pay bills that are submitted via the new tool.
O’Reilly recommends making documentation and training easily accessible. The HighQ training wiki facilitates material accessibility.
“Change with technology is something attorneys don’t like,” Sullivan stated. Nevertheless, with a lot of guidance and handholding, he managed to win them over. “You have to have faith in your actions and the outcome that you will achieve.”
Technology roadmaps tailored for legal departments
The panel also talked about how new systems open up countless options. Nendorf said, “There’s so much you can do with these solutions.” Given what the technology is capable of, it’s simple to become overwhelmed by all the potential uses it may have in the future.
and what other agencies appear to be doing. Allow yourself to begin modestly. It may seem tedious, but before you can take major action, you must first gather data in an orderly and systematic manner.
These initial actions are frequently linked to a pressing demand within the company. According to Nendorf, “there is usually something that makes someone want to spend money.” For example, individuals became very interested in contract management after realizing it was a weak point as a result of the Covid epidemic. Thus, begin with the most pressing necessity and work your way up.
According to Han, “technology is continually developing, thus the legal department needs to be flexible and adaptable.
Since there isn’t a flawless system, flexibility must be included.
Additionally, when suggestions for improvements are made, you will already have a response if you have a roadmap—even a basic, adaptable one. O’Reilly merely answers, “Yeah, that’s what we’re going to do; it’s on the roadmap.” Though we’re not doing that right now, we will eventually get there.
As these professionals have all witnessed, it is very possible for a legal team to become data-informed.
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