AUGUST 2021CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM6EditorialLegal Technology and the Way AheadLegal needs to address "not knowing what they don't know" in order to consider software selection and to carry out a detailed overhaul of the operating model. To overcome this, organizations are hiring Chief Legal Operating Officers (CLOOs) to focus on transforming the way Legal delivers its services. Lawyers may also need help in understanding how technology can be deployed in the legal function. There is a lot of creativity, intuition and serendipity in legal work which does not lend itself to automation, and lawyers are trained to do bespoke work. Part of the process of adopting technology involves identifying those aspects of a process which can be standardized and those areas of practice which have the volumes to "industrialize".In some cases this thought process may lead to the conclusion that simply refining processes, clarifying the structure of the legal function and the responsibilities of those within it, and making information more easily available to their colleagues through FAQs and internal social media is sufficient. Automation is not always the answer.One of the most often cited obstacles to technology adoption is the abundance of solutions on the market and in many cases the lack of an industry standard. The sheer level of "noise" makes it a challenge for the GC to sort through what is available and focus on those tools offering the best fit with the needs of Legal and the wider organization.Given this variety, it is essential to identify the causes (rather than symptoms) of the problem or problems which, if fixed, would make a material difference in terms of efficiency (both lawyer time and cash cost) and effectiveness. This immediately reduces the number of solutions for consideration. Since many of these tools are provided by start-up or early stage companies, the mismatch between a large corporation and a small company should not be underestimated in terms of the sales and buying processes, language used and cash-flow expectations. A small vendor may not have the financial strength, internal policies or insurance cover to gain approval as a potential supplier. This can be a useful, albeit sometimes unwelcome, way of further narrowing the solutions to consider.Let us know your thoughts.Joe PhillipManaging Editoreditor@cioapplications.comJoe PhillipCopyright © 2021 ValleyMedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photography or illustrations without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. Views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the magazine and accordingly, no liability is assumed by the publisher thereof.August 16, 2021, Volume 07 - Issue 22 (ISSN 2644-240X) Published by ValleyMedia, Inc. To subscribe to CIO ApplicationsVisit www.cioapplications.com Managing EditorJoe Phillip*Some of the Insights are based on the interviews with respective CIOs and CXOs to our editorial staffSalesSebastian Jacobsebastian@cioapplications.comEmailsales@cioapplications.comeditor@cioapplications.commarketing@cioapplications.comGraphics & ArtIssac GeorgeEditorial StaffBen JacksonDaniel HolmesEzra BenjaminJune MichaelRose DcruzSenior WritersClara MathewLeah JaneRoyce D'Souza
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