数字总法律顾问正在对公司法律部门进行转型

Improving productivity and operationalefficiency are top priorities for GeneralCounsel today—and technology is their Further, when asked to name their most vital strategic initiative,GCs most often identified “digitalisation and technology.” Their strategies include: •Adding web-based applications for data managementrelated to litigation, contracts, and licenses.•Implementing document management software. Corporate legal departments’ intense focus on efficiencyis apparent in two findings from the Association ofCorporate Counsel’s 2020 survey1of more than 1,000 These findings are echoed in a series of in-depth interviews HighQrecently conducted with leaders in corporate legal departments. First, many GCs redesigned workflow processes (57.6%)and bolstered project management and knowledgemanagement (41.1%) to achieve efficiency gains in thepast year. Second, the average number of legal operations “Technology can change the landscape for GCs, and thesechanges require GCs to look at legal team resourcingdifferently,” says Phil Norah of Aggregate. “The modernGC will inevitably spend more time seeking to embed more Ron Masciantonio of Five Below Inc. says, “We are focusedon identifying technology solutions that will not only helpus increase viability and efficiency, but will also generateactionable data to help us appropriately tailor and improve And yet... Despite this growing use of technology, most corporate legalteams have not adopted many common tech solutions. In aseparate ACC survey2of more than 500 legal departments inthe Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, These represent two elements of GCs’ strategic plans: peopleand processes. The third is technology. Half of those surveyedsaid they increased their teams’ use of tech solutions in theprevious 12 months to improve efficiency, and 42% said they Legal technology “has the potential to materially changethe way in which my team and I provide legal support to ourbusiness,” says Cornerstone’s Phil Warren, “particularly inthe areas of document and transaction automation, reporting,data analysis, and cost management. It should allow us to This paradox suggests many legal departments may beinvesting piecemeal in a variety of disparate point solutions.This disjointed approach creates functional gaps and knowledgesilos while trapping data in multiple, stand-alone applications. Digital GCs Create Bespoke Plans toAdvance Their Organisations’ Priorities Technology can change thelandscape for GCs, and thesechanges require GCs to look at Technically savvy GCs lead digital transformation with aclear picture of the legal work essential to their organisation’sstrategic success, operational tasks that bog down theirteams, processes that can be automated, data that can The vision of a tech-enabled, data-driven legal operation isdriving change, but it requires a big-picture strategic plan “It’s important that technology solutions are appropriatelytailored to fit the particular environment at the company,”said Ron Masciantonio. “There is not any one-size-fits all Katie Selves of Gattica says technology implementation is, andwill continue to be, a central part of her role. “The introductionof technology to track matters and assist with engagementwith the business is the first step in what will be an increasingpart of my role over the coming years,” she says. “I now For example, Katie Selves is focused on tracking and reportingkey performance indicators and service-level agreements.“Technology will enable us to track turnaround time and the Phil Warren notes that a successful operation can increasedemand and workload. “We have found that the businessdoes come to us perhaps too much now and we need toelevate the lawyers above the day-to-day churn so they can Getting it Done HighQ asked Digital GC’s for advice for their peers, in-houselawyers, and legal operations professionals striving to harnesstechnology to optimise and streamline their legal departments. “Having better legal tech solutions will certainly help usto do that by enabling the business to have better access toinformation, giving us visibility of the types of work the team 1) Assess Your Needs “Be very clear on what you need from a technologysolution,” Phil Norah says. “Technology can be agreat enabler, but make sure it meets your needs. Sarah Barrett-Vane of SBV Consulting says in-house legalteams need: Sarah Barrett-Vane advises legal teams to evaluatetheir day-to-operations and envisage a morestreamlined approach. “Go back to basics. What doyou do now and how? Who does it? Where are yourpinch points? What could you do differently, and how? •Accurate information and analysis of legal spend. •A user-friendly, online intake form. •Document automation, which she defines as “a way toget documents and contracts drafted, agreed to, and •A contract lifecycle management tool. •A document management system that allows internalstaff and external stakeholders to access a