Crafting Legal Ops Excellence: From a Blank Slate to Championship Success

The emergence of the legal ops professional has redefined the vibe and vision of modern legal departments, introducing a fresh, dynamic, and forward-thinking approach to legal management and strategy.

The demand for these roles has significantly increased — especially after the pandemic. That trend underscores the growing recognition of the value we bring to optimizing the department.

Whether you’re charting unexplored territory in a new role, spearheading the introduction of a legal ops function within your organization, or reevaluating your strategy to meet new objectives, the essence of beginning anew is ever-present. The starting point—or the decision to reassess and realign from square one—is a critical juncture that offers a unique opportunity for innovation and strategic planning.

“Every great journey starts with a single step.” – Maya Angelou

Assume a Blank Slate

I’ve had the pleasure of building the legal ops function from the ground up for Rakuten, Peloton, and in my current role at Cedar. In the nascent stages of my strategy, I assume my colleagues’ awareness of legal operations is effectively a blank slate. It’s about introducing not just myself but the very concept of legal operations to the organization. I aim to clarify how legal ops (as a person, a function, or both) can streamline work and contribute to the company’s collective goals.

Embarking on a “roadshow” within the company is a strategy I strongly advocate. Armed with a concise and compelling legal operations elevator pitch, I make it my mission to connect with key department heads and their teams. This is not just about putting a face to a name; it’s about laying the groundwork for mutual understanding and collaboration. 

“Why do you go to these lengths?” you might wonder. The answer lies in the pervasive ambiguity surrounding the legal operations function. Though we’ve scored our seat at the table, there’s still a wealth of socialization to be done about our purpose, and this purpose can vary on many factors, including your own positioning in the company hierarchy, your industry, your company size, and your company’s profile (domestic vs international). 

By actively engaging with colleagues across the board, I aim to illuminate how legal operations can profoundly enhance their day-to-day operations and strategic outcomes. Here’s the essence of my pitch: Legal operations is all about optimizing the delivery of legal expertise to the business. I leverage legal technology to scale our capabilities, manage budgets, and craft overarching strategies. Essentially, I position myself as the legal team’s ambassador, guiding our interactions with the rest of the business.

Recognizing the existing efforts in legal operation-ish tasks by legal colleagues is another critical step. Presenting an introductory deck to my team not only acknowledges their contributions but also helps redefine responsibilities under the legal ops umbrella, facilitating a smoother transition and integration of tasks.

This approach underscores a few key strategies: making my presence known through a targeted roadshow, effectively communicating the value of legal operations with a tailored pitch and fostering a shared understanding of legal ops’ role within the company. By overemphasizing context initially, the goal is to transition from an unknown entity to a pivotal influencer—or at the very least, a proficient communicator within the organization. These steps are not actions reserved for being new in the role. Even if you’ve been in the same role for several years, carving out time every year to socialize your strategy and listen to your colleagues’ strategy is key.

The Priority Pyramid

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” Benjamin Franklin.

When building out a roadmap, I deploy an approach I dub the “Priority Pyramid,” which serves as a blueprint. At its base—the broadest layer—lies the core infrastructure of the legal operations role, where initial efforts are concentrated. This foundation stage, which will likely span a year’s time, is crucial for honing in on financial oversight and resource allocation. Primary tasks include auditing legal department expenditures and formulating a streamlined approach for collaborating with outside counsel. This phase eliminates the guesswork in tracking financial transactions, with legal operations assuming control over vendor management and payments. Simply put: “Show me the money.” Having a handle on where the money is and where it can go can influence the remainder of the priorities. 

Match people with their expertise

Progressing up the pyramid, attention shifts to tasks of decreasing urgency but no less importance. This next phase emphasizes the strategic alignment of people and resources with their most effective roles – I call this phase “match the people with their expertise.” This stage might include fostering interdepartmental relationships e.g. talking to sales about contracting processes traditionally managed by the legal team and enabling processes so departments like product, finance, procurement, and marketing can seamlessly interface with legal operations. 

If you are a small or centralized legal team and want to know about volume to prepare and better scale expertise, I might consider an intake system at this stage. This will not only serve to put some structure and prioritization around the day-to-day but can also be coded to provide data for later analytics. For example, which department do we serve the most? What “asked and answered” questions can we socialize more broadly to reduce future pings? What information can be shared on an internal intranet? What practice area is generating the most requests, and should we hire an attorney with that expertise?

Transformation time

Upon solidifying this operational framework and securing organizational support, the focus can then pivot to transformative initiatives. Implementing new technologies, refining policies, reworking playbooks, and centralizing information repositories mark this advanced stage. Such developments aim to streamline operations and enhance departmental efficacy.

Reaching the pyramid’s apex symbolizes the legal department’s evolution into a streamlined, efficient entity, poised to tackle long-term strategic goals. At this pinnacle, the emphasis shifts to aligning the department’s efforts with overarching business objectives and nurturing team growth. This entails a forward-looking, adaptable strategy that balances immediate needs with broader company aspirations, continually engaging with stakeholders to ensure alignment and relevance.

Building Successful Teams

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” -Michael Jordan

Building a team is tantamount to success. To transform singular achievements into sustained excellence, I cannot underscore enough the indispensable value of a unified team. So, what are the archetypes and/or skillsets of the people I want on my winning team?

The Analyst: This individual thrives on refining inefficient processes and devising new systems from scratch, using a methodical, data-driven approach reminiscent of scientific inquiry. Consider a legal ops professional who notices the excessive time attorneys spend managing invoices received as PDFs via email. They might hypothesize that a more efficient billing system could free up attorneys to review additional contracts each week. After collecting data, they’d advocate for investing in new billing technology. This analytical mindset is invaluable for uncovering and addressing inefficiencies throughout the legal department and is a critical trait to seek during the hiring process.

The Connector: In the inherently collaborative environment of legal ops, the ability to forge strong interdepartmental relationships is crucial. Candidates who excel in social settings and can navigate interpersonal dynamics will be instrumental in implementing initiatives that extend the legal department’s capabilities, such as contract lifecycle management systems. Their diplomacy and relational skills are indispensable for the cross-functional nature of legal ops work.

The Visionary: While the immediate goal may be to address the most pressing challenges, legal ops professionals must also possess a strategic outlook. They are the visionaries who guide the general counsel, the legal team, and other departments, aligning legal strategies with the company’s broader objectives. Their strategic foresight is essential not just for planning but also for securing ongoing support and advocating for the legal ops function’s value.

The Narrator: Effective communication is key, and a successful legal ops leader knows how to weave compelling narratives around budget figures, business insights, and the advantages of legal technology. Their storytelling prowess is vital for capturing interest, engaging stakeholders, and earning the support necessary for the function’s success.

Legal ops has become integral to legal departments, making a tangible impact on operational efficiency and strategic planning, Starting from a blank slate and engaging in a comprehensive roadshow within your organization are fundamental steps in demystifying the role and showcasing its value. 

Moreover, the development and implementation of a “Priority Pyramid” strategy emphasizes the importance of a systematic approach to building and evolving the legal ops function. 

Equally crucial is the composition of the legal ops team itself, characterized by a blend of analysts, connectors, visionaries, and narrators. The transformative power of teamwork, intelligence, and strategic foresight will undoubtedly achieve championship-level success.