[Rudy DeFelice of Harbor Labs spoke to Law360 about his perspective.]
"Since the release of ChatGPT in 2022, executives have increasingly promised to analysts that they are embracing AI as a growth driver," Rudy DeFelice, the global head of Harbor Labs at the legal tech services provider Harbor Global, told Law360 Pulse. "Legal departments are among the first groups called upon to deliver on these promises."
Mounting workloads, reduced budgets and a push for efficiency might induce more legal departments to innovate in the future. Law departments have already made some progress by adopting contract software, matter management platforms and legal spend tools.
DeFelice added that some teams may also be under pressure to "put AI points on the board" by positioning the legal department as a source of innovation.
Legal teams are increasingly focused on proicess improvement, particularly since department budgets have generally lagged behind rate increases, and many departments are prohibited from adding too much headcount, according to DeFelice.
It's simple math that when demands increase and resources are flat, all you can do is improve your productivity or lower your standards. Nobody wants to do the latter. Departments have focused on technology and innovation as the path to keep up with the rate at which demands exceed resources.
Rudy DeFelice, Global Head, Harbor Labs at Harbor
This is an excerpt of an article available through Law360 Pulse.
- AI
- Innovation
- Outside counsel management