Legal Operations

Washington state expanded the breadth of its sales tax laws, which could catch professional service firms off guard. While traditional legal and accounting services are exempt from sales tax, the ripple effects of this change could still substantially impact professional services firms, albeit in subtle but significant ways.

For decades, in-house practitioners have chosen outside litigation counsel through instinct, personal networks and anecdotal experience, often defaulting to a familiar name, a trusted former colleague, or a firm remembered for a handful of “big wins.” More recently, some have attempted to bring data into the process, which while useful, rarely correlate with future performance in the unique circumstances of a new matter. Today, forward-looking general counsel are beginning to adopt the same kind of predictive analytics that have already reshaped other high-stakes industries.

Legal technology is in the middle of a paradigm shift — one where firms are no longer satisfied with incremental fixes and point solutions. Instead, they’re seeking transformation: of systems, workflows, and outcomes. Nowhere is that transformation more urgent — or more impactful — than in how firms manage the revenue lifecycle.

Firms no longer have the luxury of making do: productivity is leaking, risk is compounding, and legacy systems — once seen as untouchable — are now being scrutinized through a different lens that prioritizes agility, security, and user experience. From dispelling misconceptions, to the risk of traditional print and how to focus on the basics, here are the top six things firms need to know about closing the gaps in legal document management.

The role of legal operations professionals is changing as their responsibilities grow and they contend with new and potentially disruptive technologies.

In today’s digital-first business environment, legal departments are confronting an unprecedented escalation of risk. Cyberattacks are growing more frequent and sophisticated. Regulatory complexity is expanding across jurisdictions. And the pressure to respond quickly — without compromising accuracy or trust — is mounting.

A new generation of legal tech, including rapidly advancing AI and AI assistants, is introducing capabilities that don’t just automate individual steps. These tools act as proactive collaborators, intelligently navigating complex documents, surfacing key risks, applying context, and taking action. They’re helping legal teams move from manual to marvelous — and that transformation is happening faster than many realize.

For law firms, the global shipping of servers and IT hardware is not just a logistical task — it’s a critical component of operational continuity and client service. A single oversight in documentation could delay sensitive shipments, compromise remote attorney onboarding, or interrupt court deadlines reliant on secure data transfer and IT setup. Here’s more detail on the evolving complexity and some key solutions.