Legal departments are under pressure to deliver more value with fewer resources. But too often, tech tools fail to solve core problems. Why?

In-house legal departments are under immense pressure. Growing workloads, understaffed teams, and increasing demands from the business have made burnout and attrition more common than ever. It’s no surprise that many legal teams turn to technology as a lifeline. But more often than not, these tech investments fail to deliver meaningful improvement.

Why? Because we’re focusing on the wrong thing.

When assembling an in-house legal team for a sports organization, the parallels between your athletes and your attorneys are surprisingly apt.

We’ve all seen it in sports: the superstar team that loses to a less talented but fundamentally sound opponent. Flashy plays can’t compensate for missed assignments and a lack of cohesion. The lesson?

A recent Axiom Global survey shows that 39% of legal teams struggle with communication. That’s nearly 4 in 10 teams where critical information is misunderstood, misdirected, or missed altogether.

Today’s topic is urgent—and deeply human. It’s a staggering statistic that 71% of in-house lawyers are ready to jump ship. (Axiom Global Survey 2024). For legal operations professionals, this should set off alarm bells—and signal an opportunity to lead meaningful, strategic change.