Posted by Andrew Lloyd, managing director at Legal Futures Associate Search Acumen
Lloyd: Traditional back-up layers are becoming less necessary
Law firms are constantly looking for ways to meet mounting client expectations, boost efficiency and give themselves a competitive edge, often by investing in the latest legal technology and AI services.
From document management systems to AI review platforms and collaboration software, these tools are continually evolving and promise to make lawyers’ lives easier.
The reality? Too many firms are adopting shiny new tech without first retiring their legacy systems, causing duplication and unnecessary costs.
This is the phenomenon known as tech bloat. It’s the quiet drain on law firms’ budgets. And ironically, while technology is meant to save time, too much of it can drain energy, attention and resource.
Why does tech bloat occur?
The motivations behind tech bloat are almost always sensible in isolation. In attempts to work more efficiently, demonstrate value and improve reporting, teams and individuals within a firm make one-off purchases without considering the big picture.
Similarly, dual sourcing often stems from a natural desire to get the best value for money, or to create a useful back-up should things not go to plan – but the reality can result in confusion and poor visibility across projects and clients.
Why is tech bloat a problem?
Advancements in AI mean traditional back-up technology layers are becoming less necessary, with professional indemnity insurance increasingly validating the technology’s accuracy. Simply put, it’s just not needed.
Using siloed software for specific issues, rather than a more comprehensive, all-in-one provider, creates dense technology stacks that not only quietly chip away at budgets, but waste valuable time by forcing lawyers and support staff to navigate multiple interfaces with overlapping functionality.
Even more dangerously, they spread sensitive client data across multiple platforms, increasing the risk of a data breach.
The fatigue caused by tech bloat often drives lawyers back to manual processes, ultimately undermining the very value the technology is meant to deliver.
How can I solve tech bloat?
The first step for dealing with tech bloat is a thorough technology audit.
Examining a list of vendors is not enough – firms need to ask fundamental questions about how they use these tools in their daily operations. Where are the overlaps? Are there valuable features in existing subscriptions that aren’t being used?
This is not a task that can be completed from the bottom up or from an IT perspective alone; senior leadership need to be alive to the problem and part of the solution. This involves clearly defining what a firm wants to get out of its technology stack and embedding these goals as a core element of business strategy.
Looking for opportunities to prioritise consolidation over specialisation is key. This includes investing in systems with end-to-end functionality, thereby avoiding the cybersecurity pitfalls and operational chaos of dealing with multiple vendors.
An ideal platform should integrate easily with core systems and address multiple use cases, streamlining the user experience and reducing the likelihood that users resort to manual workarounds.
Another way to ensure firms get maximum value from the technology they adopt is to build strong user confidence from the outset. That requires structured training, clear communication, and dedicated internal champions for each tool throughout the integration process.
Training resources provided by the technology vendor should be regularly used and revisited at set intervals, particularly as the technology evolves. Done well, this helps lawyers and support staff see these tools as an extension of their capabilities rather than another demand on their time.
Just as important is having a technology partner whose support team operates as an extension of your own – trusted problem-solvers who can quickly resolve unexpected issues and guide adoption.
This is one of the most effective ways to prevent tech bloat, ensuring staff feel supported, confident and equipped to make full use of the technology available to them.
Equally, the importance of clear ownership cannot be overstated. If a tool’s ultimate senior responsibility cannot be defined, it is a clear sign that its usefulness ought to be reviewed. The owner of each resource should be able to articulate its purpose, user base, and success metrics.
Legal tech should work for you, not the other way around; if a tool no longer serves its purpose, it should be retired before it becomes a burden rather than a boon.
How can I get the most out of my legal tech?
Tech tools have the potential to unlock incredible efficiency gains in the legal sector – and at most firms, they are already doing so.
When senior leaders align their strategy with their technology, define what they need from their stacks end-to-end, and invest appropriately, the result is a streamlined process where lawyers work with their tech, not against it.
This is what defines true value and competitive edge when it comes to today’s legal tech.
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