Conversations about the “next big thing” abound at Legalweek, often centering on software or, lately, innovative AI models. When we meet in New York in March, the real breakthrough won’t come from coding or software. It will come from our mindset.
At CLOC, we have seen the legal landscape significantly transformed. Legal operations has grown from a back-office support function to an impactful part of business growth. Still, some vestiges of the old thinking remain. To unleash the power of legal ops moving forward, we must define what it is, strip away what it’s not, and demonstrate why it’s such a vital change driver for the enterprise.
The Modern Legal Operations Function
For too long, legal ops has been pigeonholed by narrow thinking. Some view it as a cost-cutting exercise, while others see it as synonymous with legal billing or paralegal support.
In truth, legal operations encompasses much more than vendor management or controlling hourly rates. It is a multi-disciplinary function that optimizes the delivery of legal services. It provides the strategic framework to align legal activities with business goals.
The reality — which we will explore more deeply during our Legalweek session on March 9, “Unleashing the Power of Legal Operations: What It Is, What It Is Not, and Why It Works” — is that legal ops is a driver of efficiency, risk mitigation, and actionable insights. It can move the needle from reactive triage to proactive business planning.
A Stitch in Time: CLOC’s Core 12 Framework
To inform decisions about legal ops, professionals need a system. That is why CLOC developed the Core 12 framework. It identifies the functional areas a legal department must evaluate (and advance) to help achieve operational excellence. From financial management and strategic planning to information governance and technology, these 12 key functions provide a common language for the industry.
Legal ops maturity comes from changing both the business of law and the practice of law. By leveraging the Core 12, teams can move beyond ad-hoc fixes. They can conduct a holistic assessment and proactively build an advanced ecosystem where data drives decisions and technology enables strategic execution.
Re-framing Legal Ops for In-house, Law Firms, and eDiscovery Professionals
Critically, the impact of legal ops looks different depending on your seat at the table, as well as where that table is located. In-house departments, law firms, and eDiscovery professionals can use it to unlock value in multiple areas, but how we drive the most impact might look different in different environments.
Many in-house teams face challenges with administrative tasks, as precious time and resources are spent on data entry, manual contract redlining, and budget tracking. Legal ops helps remove that burden. By implementing robust processes and designing workflows strategically, legal ops professionals can enable in-house counsel to focus on high-value legal work.
In law firms, there is an increasing shift from a transactional client-firm relationship to a more collaborative one. Modern, mature legal departments seek partners, not just service providers. Law firm leaders and CIOs have a major opportunity to leverage legal ops to create interoperable technology tools and better workflows. By speaking the language of legal operations, firms can demonstrate that they understand their clients’ business objectives and share a mutual commitment to efficiency.
As for eDiscovery, that is an area where many successful legal ops leaders started their journey. Many mastered the art of the process. They understand how to manage massive datasets, mitigate risk, navigate complex timelines, and implement technology solutions under pressure. Legal operations represents a natural evolution of those skills. We encourage eDiscovery professionals to see legal ops as a growth area where their skills and strategic thinking can be applied to the entire legal lifecycle.
Overcoming Inertia and Countering Change Fatigue
Leading and managing change remains one of the toughest challenges with evolving legal ops and designing intentional processes. Lawyers are trained to be risk-averse, and the muscle memory built up through “the way we’ve always done it” can be a powerful force.
Getting buy-in from key stakeholders requires a shift in narrative to help prioritize adoption and enablement. Transformation must be centered around the experienced professionals who do the work. Ultimately, change requires open dialogue, empathy, and a commitment to showing real-world impact across organizations of all sizes.
Legal ops boosts the strategic value of legal departments and empowers legal professionals in their work. When we demonstrate how it can reduce noise and enhance clarity, we turn skeptics into champions.
Driving the Legal Ops Conversation at Legalweek
At our upcoming session on “Unleashing the Power of Legal Operations,” we will move beyond theory. Joining me on the panel are CLOC President & CEO Oyango Snell, Adam Becker, Director of Legal Operations at Cockroach Labs, and Rachel St. Peter, General Counsel & Head of Legal at Nestlé Health Science USA. They will share their real-world perspectives and provide practical examples of the impact legal ops has across organizations of all sizes.
Whether you are looking to optimize legal ops or undertake a large-scale transformation, this session will help you take your next steps. We will share success stories and show how legal ops drives the strategic engine for the road ahead.
We look forward to seeing you in New York and building the future of legal together.
