Quick Wins, Slow Progress: Why Legal Transformation Needs More Than Surface-Level Change
Quick wins promise fast results with minimal disruption – but do they actually deliver? While they create the illusion of innovation, they rarely lead to measurable ROI, sustainable efficiency, or firm-wide adoption. Transformation demands leadership that goes beyond surface-level fixes, tackling the structural and cultural shifts needed to make technology work at scale.
Legal Transformation’s Favorite Illusion: The Quick Win
Let’s start with a scene I’ve witnessed far too often:
Scenario
A law firm proudly announces a “major” step in its legal tech journey. The partners smile at the town hall as the innovation lead presents a shiny new tool – perhaps an automated NDA generator or an AI-powered research assistant. Maybe even the realisation of a direct client request (if compliance allowed application onboarding). A few associates nod approvingly. Someone in the back checks their phone. The majority hear about this “massive success” for the first time.
A few weeks later, the firm releases a newsletter boasting about its digital progress. Clients see the headlines, competitors take notice, and internally, there’s a sense of accomplishment.
But here’s the problem: nothing has really changed.
The tool remains a niche solution, used by a handful of lawyers who had the patience to sit through a lunch-break training. No new revenue streams have emerged. No substantial cost savings materialized. And six months down the line, the firm is back at square one – still grappling with inefficient processes, still unsure how to truly integrate technology into its business model.
Sound familiar? That’s because quick wins have become the default transformation strategy for law firms – but they are a mirage. They create the appearance of progress without delivering real impact. So, what’s missing? Let’s talk about real transformation.
Why Quick Wins Fall Short (But Are Still Tempting)
To be fair, I get the appeal. Quick wins are easy, they look good on paper, and they don’t require much commitment.
- Low-threshold implementations – A simple workflow automation here, an AI-powered contract review there.
- Fast results – Something tangible within weeks, sometimes even days.
- Minimal disruption – No major shifts in working habits, no painful restructuring.
- Great for marketing – Town halls, client briefings, LinkedIn posts – look at how innovative we are!
For partners, it’s an attractive package. A quick win means they can tick the “innovation” box without rethinking how the firm operates. It’s like putting a fresh coat of paint on a crumbling house – it looks great for a while, but it won’t stop the roof from leaking.
And here’s the harsh reality: quick wins don’t generate ROI.
- They don’t lower costs in a meaningful way.
- They don’t increase revenue (at least not sustainably).
- They don’t shift mindsets or build firm-wide digital competence.
- They don’t get the firm ready for AI-driven legal practice.
So, if the goal is true operational efficiency, quick wins alone just won’t cut it.
The Whole Lot: What Real Transformation Requires
Legal transformation isn’t about trying out tech – it’s about integrating it into the firm’s DNA. That requires a different mindset. One that goes beyond surface-level innovation and digs deep into how the firm actually operates.
If you’re serious about transformation, you need the whole lot:
1. The Whole Lot of Data: AI and automation are only as good as the data they work with. If your firm’s knowledge management is a mess, no amount of tech will fix it. Clean, structured, accessible data is the foundation of digital transformation. No exceptions.
2. The Whole Lot of Resources: Transformation isn’t a side project. It needs dedicated people – experts in legal operations, IT, and process optimization. Expecting a group of lawyers to drive tech adoption on top of their billable work is a recipe for failure.
3. The Whole Lot of Mindset and Commitment: This is where partners come in. If leadership isn’t fully committed, transformation will never move beyond isolated experiments. Partners must actively lead the change – not just approve budgets and nod in meetings.
4. The Whole Lot of Process Optimization: Here’s a painful truth: If you automate a bad process, all you get is a faster bad process. Before implementing tech, firms need to clean up their workflows – eliminate redundancies, rethink inefficient structures, and then bring in automation.
5. The Whole Lot of Strategic Alignment: Ask yourself: What’s the firm’s long-term AI strategy? How does technology fit into its value proposition? Many firms don’t have clear answers to these questions – which is exactly why their legal tech efforts remain scattered and unscalable.
6. The Whole Lot of Interface Management: Law firms don’t operate in isolation. Seamless collaboration between legal, IT, finance, business teams and third party applications is critical. The most sophisticated tech won’t help if lawyers and IT don’t speak the same language or if APIs simply won’t match.
Why This Matters NOW: The AI Factor
The legal industry is at a turning point. AI is evolving at breakneck speed, and soon, firms will need to operate at a digital baseline just to stay competitive.
Those who get there first will reap exponential returns – because once the foundation is set, every tech investment multiplies in value. Firms that delay, however, will struggle to keep up.
It’s like joining a marathon late – by the time you start running, the leaders are already miles ahead.
So, here’s the bottom line:
- Quick wins won’t get you there.
- A structured 5-year transformation roadmap will.
- And the time to act is now.
Any Firm Can Do This – And You Should Start Now
Now, I know what some of you might be thinking: “Sure, this sounds great, but we don’t have the time, the budget, or the internal resources to launch a massive transformation initiative.”
And here’s my answer: You don’t need to.
This isn’t about overnight disruption. It’s about getting started, one deliberate step at a time. What you need is a structured, realistic roadmap that builds on your firm’s existing strengths. The good news? You already have everything you need to begin.
- Your firm already has knowledge and expertise. It just needs better ways to capture and use it.
- You already have workflows. They just need refining before technology can optimize them.
- You already have leadership. Now, it’s time to take ownership of the transformation process.
And no, you don’t need a fancy tool to start. What you need is the right guidance – the ability to recognize where to begin, where to focus, and how to align change with your firm’s business model.
That’s why tact goes in deep from the start – not to waste time with endless strategy meetings, but to leverage what firms already have and channel it into sustainable transformation. The goal is clear: Reach a transformation baseline that is compatible with AI development. Because once that status quo is achieved, every investment made thereafter returns exponentially. How do we do it? We guide firms through six non-negotiable steps:
1. Defining the long-term AI strategy: AI isn’t a trend; it’s a fundamental shift. Firms need a strategy that defines their unique AI trajectory – not just for efficiency but for long-term competitiveness.
2. Aligning culture and values: Transformation fails when it clashes with firm culture. The key is integration: aligning digital evolution with the firm’s identity, values, and client promises.
3. Leveraging the unique organizational structure: Beyond traditional hierarchies, law firms thrive on powerful informal networks – trusted relationships, knowledge-sharing dynamics, and unspoken influence – which, when harnessed correctly, become a driving force for real transformation.
4. Cleaning up processes: Automating chaos just makes chaos faster. Before tech is deployed, we streamline workflows – eliminating bottlenecks, reducing inefficiencies, and ensuring automation actually delivers ROI.
5. Sorting out knowledge management (data): Without structured, accessible knowledge, AI tools are useless. We ensure that data becomes cleaned, organized, and ready for intelligent applications – because data is the fuel of AI.
6. Managing critical interfaces: Transformation doesn’t happen in isolation. For legal tech and AI solutions to deliver real value, they need to integrate seamlessly—both within the firm and with external tools and platforms.
And here’s the best part: Once these six pillars are in place and you reach a true transformation baseline, every investment starts paying off exponentially. Suddenly, AI tools aren’t just trendy add-ons – they become powerful revenue drivers. Workflows become leaner. Decision-making becomes data-driven. Your firm becomes future-ready.
The only mistake? Waiting too long.
The Future Won’t Wait – Will You?
There’s still room at the table. The legal industry is transforming, and there’s still time to secure a competitive edge.
But wait too long, and the opportunity shrinks.
Transformation isn’t rocket science. Any firm can do it – without massive investments in tools, without disrupting client work, without endless debates. But it requires commitment. A clear plan. And partners who are willing to lead. The firms that act today will shape the future of legal services. The rest? They’ll be scrambling to catch up.
Your move. Let’s make it happen – together.
Foto von Pixabay / pexels.com
