Building a Legal Technology Strategy 101
A Playbook for GCs and Partners
Executive Summary
Legal teams are under pressure to do more with less, faster, more transparently, and more aligned to the business. Technology is a key lever, but without a clear strategy, even the best tools can under-deliver.
This whitepaper outlines the 10 essential elements of a legal technology strategy designed to help general counsel and law firm leaders take control of their digital transformation journey. Whether you're adopting your first tech tool or scaling across jurisdictions, this playbook will help you plan, prioritize, and execute with confidence.
At Everingham Legal, we help legal teams build modern, data-driven, and operationally excellent functions.
1. Vision & Strategic Alignment
Why it matters: Legal tech isn’t about buying tools; it’s about advancing business goals. Without alignment to strategic priorities, legal tech becomes shelfware.
What to do:
Link tech initiatives to business outcomes (e.g., faster contract cycle times, reduced outside counsel spend)
Define a transformation vision (2–3 year horizon)
Example: “Enable 80% of contract templates to be self-serve by business users within 18 months.”
2. Needs Assessment & Use Case Mapping
Why it matters: You can’t transform what you don’t understand. Start with pain points, not products.
What to do:
Interview internal stakeholders
Map service requests and legal tasks
Identify repetitive, high-volume, or high-friction workflows
Framework: CLOC’s Core 12 Functions, Everingham Legal’s Tech Use Case Matrix
Example: Intake, NDAs, knowledge management, matter budgeting, and clause bank reuse
3. Current State Audit
Why it matters: Many teams already have tools, but use only 20% of the functionality, or have overlapping systems.
What to do:
Inventory current software and workflows
Evaluate maturity across people, process, tech, and data
Identify shadow IT, workarounds, or noncompliance risks
Tool: Everingham’s Legal Tech & Ops Scorecard
4. Technology Principles & Governance
Why it matters: Without clear criteria, teams risk “shiny object syndrome” and disconnected tools.
What to do:
Define what “good” tech looks like (e.g., integrates with M365, user-friendly, no vendor lock-in)
Create an evaluation rubric
Set up governance structure with Legal, IT, Privacy, and Procurement
Example Principle: “All new tools must be deployable with minimal training and support SSO.”
5. Data Strategy
Why it matters: Without data, legal can't measure impact, spot risks, or support strategic decisions.
What to do:
Define KPIs across legal workstreams (cycle time, volume, matter types)
Identify systems of record
Develop dashboards that show trend data over time
Bonus: Include a retention and compliance plan aligned to ISO 27001 / GDPR / CCPA
“Legal without data is guesswork.” (McKinsey, 2023)
6. Buy vs. Build vs. Partner Decisions
Why it matters: Not every problem requires a new platform. Avoid reinventing the wheel.
What to do:
For each use case, evaluate:
Buy: Off-the-shelf legal tech (e.g., CLM, eBilling)
Build: Internal apps via legal engineers or low-code platforms
Partner: Work with ALSPs or external providers
Framework: Use a time-to-value vs. strategic-control matrix to guide decision-making.
7. Implementation Roadmap
Why it matters: Strategy without execution is hallucination. Legal tech needs sequencing, prioritization, and time-bound goals.
What to do:
Define clear phases (e.g., foundational, scalable, transformational)
Pilot small before scaling
Assign owners and success metrics to each phase
Example: Phase 1 – Implement intake + ticketing. Phase 2 – Add CLM + self-service tools. Phase 3 – Layer in GenAI + spend analytics.
8. Change Management & Communication
Why it matters: The #1 reason legal tech fails is poor adoption, not the tools themselves.
What to do:
Develop messaging by persona (e.g., partners, paralegals, business units)
Use storytelling and before/after scenarios
Train, retrain, and reinforce. Use quick reference guides, champions, and retrospectives.
Model: Kotter’s 8 Steps
Example: “Ask one partner to demo the tool and share their win on a firm-wide call.”
9. Resourcing & Capability Building
Why it matters: Tech is not a side hustle. Legal ops roles are critical to sustained transformation.
What to do:
Assign a project owner (GC, legal ops, transformation lead)
Upskill team members in digital literacy and prompt engineering
Use external support (fractional legal ops, implementation partners, advisory firms)
Example: A GC hires a fractional Head of Legal Ops to lead tech rollout two days a week.
10. Compliance, Risk & AI Governance
Why it matters: Innovation without oversight risks reputational, legal, and operational damage.
What to do:
Develop AI usage policy (approved tools, GenAI boundaries, client data handling)
Involve security, privacy, and IT in vendor reviews
Add guardrails (e.g., human-in-the-loop review, role-based access, audit logs)
Reference: IAPP AI Governance Guidelines, ISO 27701, EU AI Act draft
Conclusion: Technology Is a Strategy, Not a Shopping List
Legal teams that lead with strategy (not hype) will outperform. An excellent legal technology strategy is not about choosing tools. It’s about:
Understanding your priorities
Focusing on problems worth solving
Making smart, staged investments
Building trust and capability along the way
Let Everingham Legal help your team define a strategy that scales. A strategy that makes work better for your lawyers, your business, and your clients.
