Legal Operations in the Age of AI and Data

Executive summary. xvii

About the authors. xix

Introduction. 3
By Olga V. Mack, fellow at CodeX, The Stanford Center for Legal
Informatics, and Generative AI Editor at law.MIT Computational Law
Report, Humira Noorestani, visionary founder, DigiCounsel, and
MbaMemme Onwudiwe, EVP legal and business intelligence, Evisort
The LegalOps 2.0 Framework. 5
LegalOps 2.0 Framework - the ISSUe model. 6
Diving deeper into the ISSUe Model. 8
1. Identify. 9
2. Structure. 11
3. Shape. 13
4. Utilize effectively. 15
LegalOps 2.0 Approach to law firms and corporate legal departments. 16
Applying ISSUe to the CLOC core competencies. 18
Three additional focus areas of LegalOps 2.0. 22
Our mission. 23

PART ONE: TECHNOLOGY. 27

Introduction. 29
By Paul Levy, senior consultant, Jameson Legal Tech

Chapter 1: Automation in legal departments. 33
By Tara Emory, senior vice president of legal AI strategy,
Wilzette Louis, director of client solutions, and Adam Poeppelmeier,
director of e-discovery at Redgrave Data, and Kassi Burns,
senior attorney at King & Spalding, LLP
Introduction. 33
Automating administrative functions. 35
Automation of legal research tasks. 38
Automation of document drafting. 38
Automation of e-discovery tasks. 40
Automated e-discovery processes. 40
Automation of reporting. 43
Challenges and risks of automated systems. 45
Conclusion. 47

Chapter 2: Revolutionizing legal operations with GPT - the power of AI in the legal industry. 49
By Tom Dunlop, founder and CEO, Summize
Automation in legal operations. 49
Getting rid of"legal jargon". 50
Enhanced research capabilities. 50
More accurate decision-making. 51
Increased accessibility. 51
Generative AI and the future of legal operations. 51
Will Gen AI replace humans?. 52
Legal operations and Gen AI - the future is bright. 52

Chapter 3: Leveraging AI and data in financial management for legal operations leaders. 55
By Jake Sussman, chief operating and product officer, Evisort
Introduction. 55
Utilizing e-billing tools for enhanced invoice management. 56
Contracts as data - a paradigm shift in financial management. 57

Chapter 4: The Sherlock Holmes of legal operations - using business intelligence for law firm efficiency. 61
By Nipun K. Bhatiaa, CEO, Legal League Consulting
Business intelligence - the skill of extracting value from complexity. 61
Unlocking the power of resource allocation. 62
The ally of efficiency - achieving more with less. 63
A radar that helps you detect and respond to risks and opportunities. 63
Transforming operations from reactive to proactive. 64
Business intelligence for intelligent business - dial P for Profitability!. 65
Keep your friends close, your competitors closer. 65
The powerful AI-BI combination - a match made in heaven?. 66
Conclusion. 67

Chapter 5: AI and privacy - balancing technological potential and protection of personal data. 69
By Monika Kwiatkowska, senior commercial counsel, Zscaler, Inc.,
and Humira Noorestani, visionary founder, DigiCounsel
Safeguarding. 72
Compatibility. 73
Use it wisely. 74
Consider liabilities. 75
Next steps. 75

Chapter 6: The Brazilian Supreme Court's AI-driven journey to a 100 percent digital judiciary system. 77
By Caroline Francescato, lawyer, founder of LinkLei,
and professor of law and technology
Introduction. 77
The use of artificial intelligence in the Brazilian justice system. 78
Incorporating artifical intelligence in the courts. 80
Artificial intelligence and Brazilian law firms. 84
Final considerations. 86

Chapter 7: Technical debt - the hidden cost of law firms' digital transformation journey. 89
By John Lindsey, InCite LegalTech
The concept of technical debt. 89
Law firm applicability. 89
Procrastination. 90
Metrics for measuring technical debt. 92
Strategies for managing technical debt. 92
Conclusion. 92

Chapter 8: Powered by AI - shaping tomorrow's workforce. 95
By Natalie Pierce, partner, and Stephanie Goutos,
practice innovation attorney, Gunderson Dettmer
AI uses for employers. 95
Potential concerns and responsible implementation. 99
Equipping the workforce for a future with AI. 100

Chapter 9: Using AI and data to support vendor management. 109
By Amine Anoun, chief technology officer, Evisort
Collecting and centralizing a single source of truth vendor agreements. 109
Leveraging AI software tools and resultant data to reduce costs. 110
Negotiate better and faster with vendors moving forward. 111
Conclusion. 112

Chapter 10: Understanding the relationship between legal operations and legal technology. 113
By Colin S. Levy, legal tech author, speaker, and director
of legal for Malbek
Technological integration and automation. 113
Standardization of legal processes. 114
Data-driven decision-making. 114
Enhancing collaboration and communication. 115
Defining legal operations and legal technology. 115
Enhancing process improvement. 115
Boosting legal research. 116
Enhancing data and matter management. 116
Optimizing e-discovery. 117
Strengthening contract management. 117

Chapter 11: One general counsel, two federal investigations, and an absence of legal technology. 119
By Tara Trantham, RISE Legal
The story. 119
The plot twist. 120
How the story could have gone. 121
The lesson. 123

Chapter 12: How legal operations teams should evaluate AI solutions. 125
By MbaMemme Onwudiwe, EVP legal and business intelligence, Evisort
Evaluating AI powered tools. 126
Steps to evaluate AI and make sure it's not"two eyes". 126
Why is this important?. 127
Conclusion. 128

Chapter 13: Unlocking the power of KPIs - a guide for law firms. 129
By Gary Miles, The Free Lawyer
What are KPIs?. 129
Why should a law firm use KPIs?. 130
What are possible drawbacks to utilizing KPIs?. 131
What are important KPIs to measure?. 132
What is the process for utilizing KPIs in the law firm?. 133
Conclusion. 134

Chapter 14: The importance of metrics in legal operations. 135
By Sana Virani, contract consultant
Introduction. 135
Matter management and internal workload metrics. 135
External counsel evaluation metrics. 136
Metrics around litigation avoidance. 137
Turnaround time. 138
Conclusion. 139

PART TWO: PROCESS. 141

Introduction. 143
By Tanisha Minev, legal counsel, Yoco, and Humira Noorestani,
visionary founder, DigiCounsel

Chapter 1: LegalOps 2.0 and the CLOC Core 12 - the "Identify" stage through integrating clients into legal teams. 145
By Fatima M. Bolyea, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Objective #1: Obtain knowledge (LegalOps 2.0 - "Identify" phase). 146
Objective #2: Preserve knowledge. 146
Objective #3: Retain and analyze knowledge (LegalOps 2.0 - "Structure" and "Shape" phases). 146
Best practice #1: A successful first meeting with your client. 147
Best practice #2: A comprehensive timeline and supporting documents. 150
Best practice #3: Your internal review of the clients' documents. 154
Best practice #4: Ongoing client involvement during motion practice and discovery. 154
Best practice #5: Integrating your client into trial preparation. 156
Conclusion. 156

Chapter 2: Shred those documents (periodically, systematically, objectively, defensibly, legally, and ethically)!. 159
By Jeff Cunningham, law firm general counsel, MGC Law
Record retention basics. 159
RRP logistics. 161
Conclusion. 163

Chapter 3: Litigation management and the six Ps. 165
By Brewster Rawls, Rawls Law Group
Lessons to live by. 165

Chapter 4: Model retention guidelines for external counsel - best practices for successful law firm relationships. 169
By Son Tran, chief legal advisor, TTC Group
Setting budgets. 169
Contact for relationship. 170
Billing requirements. 170
Litigation/early case assessment. 171
Consider alternative dispute resolution early and often. 171
Alternative fee arrangements. 171
Conclusion. 174

Chapter 5: Winning at the new game - a blueprint for business strategies for law firms in the post-pandemic era. 175
By Yavanika Shah, legal business specialist, IndusLaw
What has changed in the post-pandemic era?. 175
Meeting clients' expectations. 176
Remote work vs work from office. 177
Embracing technology. 177
Focus on client experience. 178
Prioritize diversity and inclusion. 178
Alternative fee arrangements (AFAs). 179
Crisis management plan. 179
A blueprint for change - case studies of successful law firms in the business. 180
Summary. 181

Chapter 6: The art of vendor management for legal operations. 183
By Navin Mahavijiyan, head of legal operations, Modernizing Medicine
Vendor and supplier selection. 183
Vendor contract intake. 184
Reviewing and negotiating contracts. 185
Renewing contracts. 186
Conclusion. 187

Chapter 7: A gigabyte of work - information governance in a world of data. 189
By Dan Cotter, member, Dickinson Wright PLLC
Inventory, inventory, inventory. 189
Know where the data skeletons are buried. 190
Know what type of information is in the inventory. 190
Survey the field of workers. 192
Develop or revise the policies. 192
Litigation holds. 192
Staging up an information management program. 192
Remember, compliance is all about the PEOPLE. 193

Chapter 8: Contracts management planning - how to optimize processes and lift your organization. 195
By Olga V. Mack, fellow, CodeX, The Stanford Center for
Legal Informatics, and Generative AI editor, law.MIT
What is contract management planning?. 197
Traveling the CMP path in four steps. 197
Step 1: Set your contract management planning goals and strategies. 198
Step 2: Articulate the value of CLM technology. 200
Step 3: Assemble your contract management planning team. 201
Step 4: Identify your contract management plan's KPIs. 203
Planning is prevailing. 204

Chapter 9: Recipe for success - how legal knowledge management drives business forward. 207
By Jenna Sanz-Agero, of counsel, Business Affairs, Inc.,
and advisory board member, xMentium, Inc.
Identification and capture of relevant knowledge that is ongoing, preferably automated, and scalable. 208
Organization and storage of knowledge so that it is easily accessible. 209
Distribution and sharing of knowledge. 209
Use and application of knowledge to improve business processes and decision making. 210
Continual assessment and improvement of the knowledge management system. 210
Tying KM to core legal operations competencies. 211

Chapter 10: A beginner's guide for in-house legal counsel navigating legal operations. 215
By Tanisha Minev, legal counsel, Yoco
What is legal operations, really?. 216
Pillar one: Organization and elimination of waste. 217
Pillar two: Reducing costs. 222
Motivating for budget for technology. 223
Pillar three: Optimizing time. 224
The importance of data. 224

Chapter 11: Law firms as a business - a modern approach. 227
By Owen McGrann, resident troublemaker, McGrannLAW LLC
The economics of the billable hour. 227
Trusted advisors and intellectual capital. 229
Does this sound uncomfortably close to how "normal" businesses are run?. 230

Chapter 12: The impact of a strategic legal plan on business partnerships. 233
By Sara Ajmi, legal operations expert
Introduction. 233
In-house legal function and business goals - the perfect mismatch. 233
The importance of a strategic plan for in-house legal departments. 234
Seizing the opportunity - a call for strategic clarity. 235
Conclusion. 236

Chapter 13: All for one and one for all - how to win M&A battles in private practice and in-house environments. 237
By Ruslan Sulaimanov, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Group
Introduction. 237
Cross-functional alignment - a symphony in motion. 238
Fortifying unity with technology and artificial intelligence. 242
Conclusion. 242

Chapter 14: Unlocking legal operations' digitaltransformation through ALSPs. 245
By Maryam Salehijam, PhD, client account executive, Axiom Law
ALSPs vs law firms. 246
Advantages of ALSPs for legal operations. 247
Unlocking enhanced efficiency and flexibility. 247
Conclusion. 248

Chapter 15: Building IP processes for multinational corporations and start-ups. 251
By Chitra Sahay, legal manager, Barcode Entertainment
Suggested multinational corporations IP processes. 252
Suggested start-up IP processes. 253
Relevance of intellectual property. 254
Why companies should safeguard their creative production. 255
Conclusion. 256

PART THREE: PEOPLE. 257

Introduction. 259
By Laura Jeffords Greenberg, senior legal director,
Worksome and AI consultant at LEGIT
Communication. 260
Innovation. 260
Education. 260
Inclusion. 260

Chapter 1: How legal turns business teams into LegalTech champions. 263
By Chad Aboud, founder and principal, Chad Aboud Consulting
My journey to LegalTech implementation. 263
An impactful win that's not impossible. 263
Sourcing potential vendors. 264
Evaluating as a team. 264
Selecting the LegalTech provider. 265
Planning implementation. 265
Testing the work. 266
Launching Version 1. 266
Refining (forever). 267
Conclusion. 267

Chapter 2: The modern legal department - cultivating an AI-ready mindset. 269
By Suzi Hixon, trademark attorney
The importance of an AI-ready mindset. 269
Understanding AI's (current) capabilities and limitations. 270
Embracing the unknown and fostering a culture of innovation. 270
Learning from failure. 271
Enhancing efficiency. 271
Banishing burnout and achieving work-life balance with AI-driven solutions. 273
Automating routine tasks. 274
Improving time management and prioritization. 274
Enabling flexible working arrangements. 274
Fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation. 274
Conclusion. 274

Chapter 3: The vital role of the legal operations function in utilizing DEI data analytics. 277
By Flo Nicolas, founder and chief innovation and data strategist,
Get Tech Smart
The legal diversity challenges. 278
Diversity beyond race and gender. 279
Understanding employee sentiment through data analytics. 281
Breaking barriers - gender pay equity and promotions data. 282
Leveraging data analytics for job applications, vendor contracts, and exit interviews. 283
Data-driven monitoring - job applications, supplier bids, and hiring processes. 285
Legal operations' impact on contract language inclusivity. 287
Mitigating litigation risks with DEI data analytics. 287
From data to action - leveraging DEI insights to make meaningful change. 288

Chapter 4: Ten questions a legal team should ask itself if it is serious about diversity, equity, and inclusion. 291
By Niti Nadarajah, freelance general counsel, empowerment
coach, and DEI consultant
QUESTION 1: Where does responsibility for DEI lie within the organization?. 292
QUESTION 2: What do we do to demonstrate our commitment to DEI internally?. 292
QUESTION 3: What can we learn by examining the similarities and/or differences between team members, including new hires?. 293
QUESTION 4: Who does our culture support and who does it disadvantage?. 295
QUESTION 5: Do our actions demonstrate that we take accountability seriously across our organization?. 295
QUESTION 6: How psychologically safe do people feel within the team?. 296
QUESTION 7: How do we ensure we hear everyone's voice and opinions?. 297
QUESTION 8: What criteria do we use for assessing talent and progression?. 298
QUESTION 9: Are there any patterns in our employeeturnover data that indicate more can be done to support our people?. 298
QUESTION 10: What actions do we take to support DEI within the legal profession and society as a whole?. 299

Chapter 5: Practical tips to create inclusive legal teams. 301
By Cathy Nestrick, American Bankers Association
What is inclusion?. 301
Benefits to inclusion. 302
Strategies to foster inclusive practices. 303
Summary. 305

Chapter 6: From dinosaur to data(connoi)sseur - how to harness data to achieve favorable litigation outcomes. 307
By Shari E. Belitz, chief executive officer,
Shari Belitz Communications LLC
History. 307
Changing times. 307
A new direction. 308
Conclusion. 310

Chapter 7: Dance of the data dragons - e-discovery for legal operators. 311
By Cat Casey, chief growth officer, Reveal Brainspace
What is e-discovery and why should legal operations professionals care?. 311
The dancers. 312
Vanquishing e-discovery foes. 312
Data sources more and varied than the seven kingdoms. 312
The dual-headed dragon of privacy and data security. 313
More costly than a loan from the Iron Bank. 313
Legal operators - an e-discovery knight in shining armor. 313
Forging powerful alliances. 313
Becoming an e-discovery maester for your company. 314
E-discovery as legal operations' moment in the sun. 314
Winter is coming - be prepared. 315

Chapter 8: Legal party of one. 317
By Elina Cohen, general counsel, QuickNode
Be a friend. 317
Draw the line. 318

Chapter 9: A learning curve - the training, development, and education of legal technology and legal operations. 321
By Harry Borovick, general counsel at Luminance,
external lecturer at Queen Mary University London, and
visiting lecturer at the University of Law
Why do lawyers learn, and why does what lawyers learn matter?. 321
How do lawyers learn?. 322
How and what will lawyers learn?. 324
Practical steps to improve legal education. 325
What's next for legal education?. 326

Chapter 10: The importance of simple, easy, and effective communications in legal operations. 329
By Jeffery A. Kruse, founder, Key Legal Operations Consulting LLC (KLOC)
Clear communications are the keys to success. 329
SEE communications can help legal operations teams. 329
SEE communications can be a useful guide for legal operations teams. 332

Chapter 11: Why lawyers should not be doing your project management. 333
By Amr Jayousi, senior associate, Sanchez & Amador LLP
A lawyer's biggest asset is in his/her lawyering. 333
Lawyers are not trained in project management. 334
Most legal operations projects do not need a lawyer. 335
Most legal departments have too many lawyers. 336
Most legal departments have too few legal operations professionals. 336
Conclusion. 337

Chapter 12: Unlocking your legal team's potential - the role of legal operations in training and development. 339
By Robert Hanna, founder and managing director, KC Partners
Resources for new hires. 339
Existing employees. 340
Attracting new talent. 341
People, process, and technology. 342

Chapter 13: Leveraging your personal brand online to match your reputation offline. 343
By Viveca Hess, HessConnect
How do you build that brand - your digital twin?. 343
Personal branding defined. 344
Self-discovery and assessment. 344
Defining your niche and target audience. 345
Crafting your consistent and compelling online profile and presence. 346
Networking and building relationships. 347
Conclusion. 348

Chapter 14: The power of authenticity in law. 349
By Hannah Beko, head of mission, Legal Studio
What is authenticity?. 351
How can we become more authentic in our everyday working life?. 351

Chapter 15: Asynchronous communication and AI - a powerful duo to supercharge performance. 355
By Laura Jeffords Greenberg, senior legal director, Worksome
and AI consultant at LEGIT
Understanding asynchronous and synchronous communication. 356
Superpower legal operations with asynchronous communication and AI. 358
Practical steps and best practices. 362

About Globe Law and Business. 367