Session from 25th February 2025
In a recent Platforum9 session, Andrei Salajan, Director of Legal Tech & Innovation at Schoenherr, shared his key insights on selecting legal technology solutions. With his background in both computer science and law firm operations, Salajan offered really practical advice for firms navigating this complex landscape and unsure where to start.
Essential Requirements for Legal Tech Success
Salajan outlined several critical factors for effective legal tech implementation:
- Cultural understanding: “You cannot do legal tech successfully if you don’t understand the culture, strategy, and have perfect stakeholder management within the firm.”
- Dual expertise: Teams need both deep technology understanding and legal business knowledge to effectively match solutions to real problems.
- Strategic involvement: Technology leaders need “a seat at the table” in firm strategy discussions rather than operating on the periphery.
- Project management excellence: Navigating diverse stakeholders with different perspectives requires sophisticated coordination.
- Finding champions: Identifying and supporting “technically savvy and curious” team members who can drive adoption.
The Evolution of Legal Tech Implementation
The implementation process has evolved significantly in recent years:
“Remember the time when you had to select a document automation solution? You would take at least a year to test maybe one or max two solutions,” Salajan recalled. “Those times are over.”
Cloud-based solutions and software-as-a-service models have dramatically shortened deployment cycles, though building strong provider relationships remains essential for successful outcomes.
Opportunities for Firms of All Sizes
While larger firms can more easily scale technology investments, Salajan believes smaller firms can also benefit by taking a targeted approach:
“Are we an arbitration boutique firm? If so, then let’s figure out what helps us most in the arbitration process, exhibit management, submissions and filing stuff.”
This focused strategy allows smaller firms to gain significant benefits without overwhelming investments.
The Adoption Challenge
A common challenge is maintaining enthusiasm after initial adoption. Salajan recommends persistence, showcasing success stories, and leveraging partner support.
“It’s more of a marathon than a sprint,” he noted. “Once that mindset starts to change and you see specific workflows impacted, teams can never go back.”
Client Expectations and Future Pressure
While client pressure isn’t yet widespread in continental Europe, Salajan anticipates this will change as in-house teams become more technology-savvy:
“When they see how modern document review can be done, the ship has sailed. No firm will persuade an in-house team they’re going to do a review with countless associates and not use any tools.”
Starting the Journey
For firms that haven’t yet embraced legal tech, Salajan offers encouraging advice: “There’s no better time to start than now. You can test everything easily. You have really good solutions at this point in the market.”
With lower barriers to entry and more accessible solutions, firms can begin their legal tech journey, enhancing not just efficiency but potentially redefining the lawyer’s role toward becoming true trusted advisors.
