If
you’ve
ever
tried
to
implement
legal
tech
in-house
and
felt
like
you
were
dragging
your
company
uphill,
through
demos,
budget
asks,
endless
alignment
meetings,
and
skeptical
side-eyes,
you’re
not
alone.
You’re
probably
not
doing
it
wrong,
but
you
might
be
talking
about
it
the
wrong
way.
In
a
recent
episode
of
“Notes
to
My
(Legal)
Self,”
former
general
counsel
and
legal
operations
coach Chad
Aboud explains
why
legal
tech
adoption
often
stalls
and
what
actually
moves
the
needle.
His
advice
is
not
about
choosing
the
perfect
CLM
or
mastering
integrations.
It’s
about
shifting
your
mindset
from
solving
legal
problems
to
enabling
the
business.
Watch
the
full
episode
here:
The
Legal
Tech
Trap:
Thinking
It’s
About
Legal
One
of
the
biggest
mistakes
in-house
lawyers
make
is
framing
legal
tech
as
something
that
solves
legal
problems.
You
might
be
thinking
about
faster
contract
review,
fewer
redlines,
or
better
clause
playbooks.
But
as
Aboud
points
out,
nobody
outside
legal
cares
about
those
things.
Sales
is
not
losing
sleep
over
how
long
your
redlines
take.
Finance
is
not
waiting
on
a
better
indemnity
fallback.
What
they
want
is
to
close
deals,
collect
revenue,
and
hit
targets.
That
is
the
mindset
shift.
Legal
tech,
when
it
works,
improves
how
the
business
operates.
If
you
want
adoption,
budget,
and
support,
speak
in
terms
the
business
already
values:
revenue,
speed,
and
data.
Don’t
Automate
Chaos
Aboud
cautions
against
rushing
into
software
before
fixing
broken
workflows.
When
he
stepped
into
a
portfolio
of
fast-growing
companies,
he
didn’t
start
with
tools.
He
started
by
observing
where
manual
work
created
drag.
His
first
“automation”
wasn’t
software
at
all.
It
was
a
locked
Word
document
for
NDAs
with
fillable
fields,
stored
in
a
folder
that
the
business
could
access
directly.
This
eliminated
hundreds
of
repetitive
legal
requests
without
adding
cost
or
complexity.
The
result?
Legal
stopped
being
a
bottleneck.
The
business
moved
faster.
Trust
was
built.
Speak
Their
Language
When
Aboud
did
move
forward
with
a
CLM,
he
didn’t
pitch
it
as
legal
tech.
He
presented
it
as
a
solution
to
business
problems.
Sales
wanted
faster
deal
turnaround
and
fewer
blockers.
Account
management
needed
accurate
contract
data
for
client
reporting.
Finance
wanted
contract
terms
that
matched
billing
workflows.
Each
conversation
focused
on
the
outcome
each
team
cared
about
most.
For
sales,
it
was
deal
velocity.
For
account
managers,
it
was
data
consistency.
For
finance,
it
was
billing
accuracy
and
cash
collection.
Legal
was
not
the
focus
of
the
conversation.
It
was
the
facilitator.
Agree
On
The
Win
First
Many
legal
tech
projects
stall
because
they
try
to
solve
every
edge
case
from
day
one.
Aboud
recommends
the
opposite
approach.
Align
early
on
one
or
two
key
wins.
Tackle
the
70
percent
use
case.
Deliver
it
well.
Let
the
rest
wait.
Don’t
get
bogged
down
in
every
“what
if.”
Move
quickly
on
what
matters
most.
Then,
use
the
success
of
version
one
to
build
support
for
versions
two
and
three.
This
keeps
stakeholders
engaged
and
momentum
strong.
It
also
shows
that
legal
can
drive
outcomes
without
overcomplicating
the
process.
Legal
Tech
Is
A
Partnership
Aboud’s
most
powerful
message
is
that
legal
tech
isn’t
a
tool
you
buy.
It’s
a
partnership
you
build.
And
it
starts
with
curiosity.
Ask
your
colleagues
what
they
like
about
working
with
legal.
Ask
what
frustrates
them.
Ask
what
slows
them
down
in
their
own
work.
These
conversations
surface
the
problems
worth
solving.
More
importantly,
they
build
trust.
The
problem
isn’t
the
tools.
It’s
the
framing.
If
you
are
not
seeing
traction
with
legal
tech,
try
changing
the
conversation.
Talk
about
business
outcomes.
Translate
features
into
wins.
Show
how
automation
drives
revenue
and
saves
time.
And
above
all,
lead
with
empathy.
When
your
stakeholders
believe
you
understand
their
goals,
they
become
champions
instead
of
blockers.
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.