CLOC 2022 Panel Replay: Conquering Today’s Challenges with Tomorrow’s Technology

Technology, change management, and the future of legal– reimagined at CLOC Global Institute 2022!

It’s a dry, 76-degree day in Las Vegas, but things are heating up inside the Bellagio Hotel, where we’ve gathered thought leaders from Navistar, Gilead, Lucid Motors, and KPLabs for a meeting of the legal minds. Kicking off our CLOC 2022 panel session, Legal Reimagined: Conquering Today’s Challenges with Tomorrow’s Technology, Mitratech’s host, Justin Silverman, posed a question to the audience: “what is the best way to future-proof your legal department?” 

While answers ranged, the overwhelming majority agree that “having a single source of truth” and “implementing an integrated tech stack” are foundational to long-term success. Our own research reveals that many legal teams are already taking some of these steps; according to our recent survey with ALM, 58% of respondents accelerated their technology adoption as a result of events of 2020-2021, while 40% are reportedly using tech to share or expand legal-vetted processes and procedures across other units. Knowing that adding new solutions to an existing tech stack— or building one from the ground up— can be challenging, our panel experts reveal some key insights to enhance implementation and adoption. 

When it comes to leveraging legal technology or automation to drive long-term success, where should you start? According to Tony Mozeleski, Head of Legal Operations at Lucid Motors, the best approach is to lay out a strategic plan: 

“A luxury at Lucid is not being held back by too many processes [being a start up]….so the first thing I did was put together a roadmap.” 

For a company just starting out like Lucid— only recently IPO’d with no existing systems in place— this took the form of a three-year technology roadmap aimed at fully integrating the organization’s Legal, Compliance, and Public Policy departments. Starting off with their matter management and eBilling systems, the roadmap emphasizes the need for solutions that can communicate with each other, which Tony explains makes it easier to manage the retention of information across all legal systems. 

But what about an organization where legacy systems are already in place? Building a tech stack from the ground up is one battle, but getting users to embrace new systems over pre-existing solutions can be another hurdle entirely. When planning your tech roadmap in the latter scenario, getting feedback and buy-in from team members is crucial, and finding your “why” is as important as the features you enable.

“Change management is so huge — the first step is answering: why are we doing this? How will it make our lives easier? You have to give the “why.” – Marianne Troscinski, Legal Operations Consultant at Navistar 

At the end of the day, it’s not just about technology, but company culture. By creating an ecosystem that encourages collaboration and transparency, you can begin to shift the perception and relationship of your interconnected teams– especially one like legal that often has a reputation for being in its own world. Justin Hectus, CIO of KPLabs, offers a solution:

“How do you help legal avoid being a point of friction in your organization? Start by creating a streamlined ‘legal service front door’ and give visibility to senior leadership.”

Through these request portals, teams can quickly request and communicate with legal, gain visibility into the status of those requests, and even self-service and begin to un-silo departments like legal, redefining them as tech-forward and ready for innovation. When transforming your legal department into a strategic business partner, open visibility and communication are key. 

“So often we do this top-down implementation of technology, but if you could flip that and support someone else’s vision— someone who is in the trenches— it’s best to partner with those individuals who will have that instant impact from the technology. — Justin Hectus, CIO of KPLabs

Don’t despair if you missed our session panel; there’s still time to catch up with our Mitratech team at CLOC 2022! Our Legal Reimagined Soirée is kicking off tonight, May 10th, from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. (PT) at Prime Steakhouse, and you can find us on-site all week at booth #213!