Legal tech can feel like browsing toothpaste in a foreign supermarket – endless options, glossy packaging, each one promising to change your life. But for in-house teams already juggling too much, the question isn’t “what’s shiny?” – it’s “what actually helps?”

If you’re under pressure to modernise, stretch your resources, and somehow do more with less, here’s how to choose tech that works – and ignore the rest.

Start with the problem, not the pitch

It’s tempting to jump into demos. But unless you’re clear on what you’re trying to fix, the risk is you’ll end up with a tool no one uses.

Before you look at tech, talk to your team. What’s taking up time? Where are things getting stuck? Maybe it’s NDAs clogging your inbox or contract renewals scattered across emails and spreadsheets.

Only once you’ve pinpointed the operational pain should you look at tools. And when you do, don’t ask “what does it do?” – ask “does it solve our actual problem?”

Don’t fall for the ‘all-singing’ platform

Big platforms can sound great. They promise end-to-end solutions, slick integrations, and enterprise-level everything. But they’re often overkill – expensive, slow to implement, and hard to switch out later.

Sometimes the smarter move is a point solution: a Word plug-in that helps you mark up third-party paper, or a tracker that pings you before auto-renewals hit. Less glam, more useful.

Legal ops is your secret weapon

Tech alone doesn’t fix processes. Without the right people and workflows, even the best tool ends up gathering dust.

That’s where legal ops thinking comes in. You don’t need a whole team – just someone focused on how work flows through Legal, how tools are adopted, and how change is managed.

Think of legal ops as the plumbing behind the tech. It’s what keeps things moving.

Speak business, not legal tech

If you’re looking for budget, don’t pitch “contract automation” or “AI-powered review.” Talk about faster sales cycles. Cleaner audit trails. Less risk of missing a renewal.

Frame legal tech as business tech – something that helps the business go faster, safer, or smarter. If Legal happens to benefit too, all the better.

Big AI? Not always needed. Smart AI? Definitely

You don’t need a generative AI chatbot to make a difference. Think admin wins: summarising meeting notes, pulling out actions from emails, speeding up triage.

If you already have Microsoft, Copilot might be sitting there unused – secure, familiar, and surprisingly powerful. Don’t overlook what’s already in your toolkit.

It’s OK to outgrow your tech

Legal tools aren’t forever. What works for a five-person team might not scale. What fits now might feel clunky in two years.

That’s not failure – that’s progress. Stay focused on your needs, not the sunk cost. Tech should fit you, not the other way around.

Final thought

Legal tech isn’t about collecting tools. It’s about solving the right problems, in the right order, with just enough tech to make things better – not busier.

Pick wisely. Use fully. And remember – shiny doesn’t always mean smart.