Vinaya
Ganesan,
general
counsel
for
Europe
at
First
Source
Solutions,
has
closed
more
than
a
billion
dollars’
worth
of
deals
over
her
career.
She
carries
a
reputation
for
doing
more
for
less,
but
not
in
the
way
many
lawyers
might
first
assume.
The
“less”
is
about
managing
resources
wisely.
The
“more”
is
about
adding
real
value.
“Increasing
value
without
compromising
on
quality
is
the
point,”
Ganesan
says.
“You
are
actively
looking
for
the
pain
points
for
the
business
and
solving
them.”
It
is
a
philosophy
that
translates
directly
into
contract
management
and
the
role
of
in-house
legal
teams
in
driving
business
outcomes.
Streamlining
Without
Sacrificing
Protection
Many
in-house
teams
operate
under
constant
pressure
to
move
contracts
faster.
The
risk
is
that
speed
becomes
the
sole
metric.
Ganesan’s
approach
suggests
a
better
way,
one
that
focuses
on
streamlining
the
contracting
process
without
diluting
the
safeguards
that
protect
the
company.
In
practice,
that
means
finding
and
addressing
process
inefficiencies
rather
than
simply
cutting
corners.
If
low-risk
clauses
consistently
cause
negotiation
delays,
then
standardizing
or
preapproving
those
terms
can
free
up
time
for
the
team
to
focus
on
higher-impact
issues.
This
is
where
contract
data
comes
into
play.
Without
visibility
into
where
deals
stall,
legal
teams
are
left
relying
on
anecdote
instead
of
evidence.
Using
Contract
Data
To
Focus
Negotiation
Energy
Ganesan
makes
a
point
of
tracking
where
delays
occur
in
the
contracting
process
and
sharing
that
data
with
the
business.
“It
busts
the
myth
that
legal
is
the
bottleneck,”
she
explains.
By
showing
turnaround
times
and
pinpointing
where
deals
actually
slow
down,
legal
can
shift
the
conversation
from
blame
to
solutions.
For
teams
that
want
to
move
beyond
firefighting,
this
is
a
critical
step.
Contract
data
can
identify
the
clauses
that
are
negotiated
most
often
and
quantify
the
cost
of
that
friction.
Once
you
know
the
hotspots,
you
can
direct
negotiation
resources
where
they
matter
most,
and
you
can
automate
or
template
the
rest.
Embedding
The
‘More
For
Less’
Mindset
Across
The
Team
In
Ganesan’s
view,
this
philosophy
should
not
be
reserved
for
senior
counsel.
She
actively
empowers
paralegals
and
junior
team
members
to
think
about
value
creation.
“No
problem
is
too
small,”
she
says.
That
includes
seemingly
routine
agreements
like
NDAs.
If
the
first
touchpoint
a
business
partner
has
with
legal
is
a
smooth
NDA
process,
it
shapes
their
perception
of
the
department
as
responsive
and
aligned
with
business
needs.
This
mindset,
applied
to
contracts,
means
every
person
who
touches
the
process
is
encouraged
to
spot
opportunities
for
simplification,
clarity,
and
speed,
and
is
backed
by
leadership
when
they
make
those
improvements.
Turning
Insight
Into
Influence
Tracking
contract
KPIs
is
one
thing.
Marketing
those
results
internally
is
another.
Ganesan
deliberately
shares
metrics
and
wins
with
executives,
using
the
company’s
own
marketing
team
to
celebrate
major
process
improvements.
For
legal
teams
seeking
to
be
seen
as
strategic
partners,
this
is
an
underused
tactic.
It
reinforces
that
legal
is
not
just
a
gatekeeper
but
a
driver
of
business
performance.
In
the
end,
Ganesan’s
“more
for
less”
philosophy
is
not
about
doing
legal
work
faster
or
cheaper
for
its
own
sake.
It
is
about
using
data
and
strategic
thinking
to
remove
friction
where
possible,
focus
effort
where
it
matters,
and
build
credibility
as
a
team
that
accelerates
rather
than
impedes
the
business.
In
contracting,
that
is
the
kind
of
value
that
lasts.
Olga
V.
Mack is
the
CEO
of TermScout,
an
AI-powered
contract
certification
platform
that
accelerates
revenue
and
eliminates
friction
by
certifying
contracts
as
fair,
balanced,
and
market-ready.
A
serial
CEO
and
legal
tech
executive,
she
previously
led
a
company
through
a
successful
acquisition
by
LexisNexis.
Olga
is
also
a Fellow
at
CodeX,
The
Stanford
Center
for
Legal
Informatics,
and
the
Generative
AI
Editor
at
law.MIT.
She
is
a
visionary
executive
reshaping
how
we
law—how
legal
systems
are
built,
experienced,
and
trusted.
Olga teaches
at
Berkeley
Law,
lectures
widely,
and
advises
companies
of
all
sizes,
as
well
as
boards
and
institutions.
An
award-winning
general
counsel
turned
builder,
she
also
leads
early-stage
ventures
including Virtual
Gabby
(Better
Parenting
Plan), Product
Law
Hub, ESI
Flow,
and Notes
to
My
(Legal)
Self,
each
rethinking
the
practice
and
business
of
law
through
technology,
data,
and
human-centered
design.
She
has
authored The
Rise
of
Product
Lawyers, Legal
Operations
in
the
Age
of
AI
and
Data, Blockchain
Value,
and Get
on
Board,
with Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers (ABA)
forthcoming.
Olga
is
a
6x
TEDx
speaker
and
has
been
recognized
as
a
Silicon
Valley
Woman
of
Influence
and
an
ABA
Woman
in
Legal
Tech.
Her
work
reimagines
people’s
relationship
with
law—making
it
more
accessible,
inclusive,
data-driven,
and
aligned
with
how
the
world
actually
works.
She
is
also
the
host
of
the
Notes
to
My
(Legal)
Self
podcast
(streaming
on Spotify, Apple
Podcasts,
and YouTube),
and
her
insights
regularly
appear
in
Forbes,
Bloomberg
Law,
Newsweek,
VentureBeat,
ACC
Docket,
and
Above
the
Law.
She
earned
her
B.A.
and
J.D.
from
UC
Berkeley.
Follow
her
on LinkedIn and
X
@olgavmack.