From chaos to control: why legal operations is becoming the backbone of legal work

“The lawyer of the future is not a firefighter, but a process architect.”

In 2025, the role of legal operations has definitively changed. Whereas this function was previously seen as a supportive back-office role (internal support function), the new SpotDraft report State of Legal Ops 2025 shows that legal operations is increasingly at the foundation of strategic decisions, process improvement, and technological innovation.

However, there is also a downside: despite this growing strategic role, 44% of organizations still do not have a dedicated legal operations team. Only 1% of respondents describe their legal processes as “fully optimized.” At the same time, the majority of participants expect legal operations to play a crucial role in scalability, risk management, and collaboration with the rest of the organization in the coming years.

What does this mean for legal teams? And how can you, as a lawyer or in-house counsel, capitalize on the opportunities of legal operations without immediately hiring an army of external consultants? The answer lies not in size, but in smart organization, taking small steps, and deploying technology in the right places.

From surviving to optimizing

In 2025, the majority of legal teams still operate with small headcounts:

• 54% of teams consist of 1 to 5 people
• Only 17% have 25 or more team members

These small teams have many tasks: reviewing contracts, overseeing regulatory compliance, handling inquiries from the organization, and contributing to strategic thinking. The pressure is high. Yet, a structured approach is often lacking. Intake processes are missing, collaboration with other departments is strained, and standard contracts are drafted from scratch every time. As one of the research participants put it: “We have one lawyer for everything from mergers and acquisitions to non-disclosure agreements, and no time to think about optimization. But that is exactly what makes legal operations so necessary.”

As a result, lawyers lose valuable time on recurring tasks, while strategic work is neglected. Legal operations offers the solution: not as a luxury, but as a lever for quality, oversight, and peace of mind in legal work.

Legal operations: not an extra layer, but a smart link

What exactly does legal operations do?

According to the report, these are the four main priorities:

1. Reducing the time required to get contracts approved and signed (turnaround time)
2. Implementing technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and contract management tools (CLM: Contract Lifecycle Management)
3. Organizing intake processes and collaboration with other departments
4. Managing the legal budget

Most teams struggle with:

• Limited budgets (47.6%)
• Little decision-making authority
• Low deployment of technology (28.7%)

But those who recognize this also know where the leverage lies. It is precisely the combination of process thinking, technology, and collaboration that makes legal operations indispensable.

In practice, this means:

• Using standard documents
• Smart intake forms that redirect automatically
• Clear dashboards with data on legal bottlenecks

As one respondent put it: “If you solve one bottleneck, for example intake or turnaround time, it immediately feels like doubling your capacity.” Legal operations is therefore not an extra layer of management, but a practical way to organize work more efficiently.

AI is not a hype, but not yet a routine

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an increasingly large role in legal operations, but its implementation is proceeding cautiously:

• Only 9.3% consider AI “indispensable” when choosing new tools
• 29.9% call AI “moderately important”
• 24.1% find AI “very important”

Most commonly used technologies:

• CLM tools: 54.6%
• Compliance tools: 47.1%
• E-billing tools: 34.7%
• AI-based chatbots: 21.1%
• AI for contract analysis: 17.7%
• AI for data analysis: 8.6%

According to DeAnna Papadis, Head of Legal Contracts and Operations at Google, we should view AI as an accelerator: “AI will play a leading role in legal operations over the next five years. But that actually means we need more people who can manage these systems.”

The biggest obstacles? Doubts about return on investment (ROI), lack of training, and no clear change management approach. Nevertheless, the gains are often found in small, measurable improvements. Teams using AI for standard tasks such as NDA (non-disclosure agreement) reviews or intake forms quickly report time savings and reduced workload.

A strategic seat at the table, but not everywhere yet

How strategically is legal operations currently involved in decision-making?

• 25.2% play a clear role in major decisions
• 31.9% are sometimes consulted
• 28.2% only for compliance or occasional legal questions
• 14.7% are not involved at all

Legal operations must be more than just a process function.

By collecting data on, for example, turnaround times or bottlenecks in workflows, you can demonstrate legal value:

• Where do delays occur?
• How much time do repetitive tasks take?
• Which risks can you prevent?

Susan Packal, Head of Global Legal Operations at Atlassian, sees that many General Counsels already recognize the importance: “Forward-thinking lawyers might not know everything about legal operations, but they know it should be one of their first hires.”

Talent wanted: legal + process + technology

The rise of legal operations requires a new type of legal professional. 60% of respondents say they struggle to find suitable candidates.

The ideal candidate combines:

• Legal knowledge
• Project skills (e.g., planning and coordination)
• Technological skills

Recruitment happens mainly through:

• Personal recommendations (46%)
• Online platforms such as LinkedIn (21%)

Zoey McMahon, Head of Legal Operations at HP, summarizes it well: “Legal departments are machines. Only part of that consists of lawyers; you also need data analysts, project managers, compliance specialists, and tech-savvy legal professionals.”

Those who invest in such hybrid profiles now are building sustainable legal strength. The future demands professionals who are not only substantively strong but can also improve processes, understand technology, and guide change.

Conclusion: from firefighting to building value

Legal operations is not a passing trend. In an era of small teams, tight budgets, and high expectations, it is the way to make legal departments future-proof. It provides peace of mind, structure, and strategic oversight.

The SpotDraft report shows: now is the time to start.

No expensive systems or major reorganizations, but achievable, smart steps:

• Establish a clear intake process
• Automate one repetitive task
• Create a dashboard with key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Use AI as a tool, not as an end in itself
• Appoint someone responsible for legal operations

Legal operations begins with oversight. Those who arrange it automatically build a stronger legal practice. Or as one respondent says: “There is so much to do. That makes legal operations one of the most exciting places in the legal field today.”

Precisely because the field is in full development, opportunities are there for the taking. For lawyers who take initiative, think in terms of processes, and embrace technology, this is the moment to make a difference.