“Everyone seems to be talking about being cutting edge until they have to be cutting edge.”

This statement that Ari Kaplan recently shared with TCDI perfectly captures the reality of the legal industry today. When faced with the opportunity to innovate, many technology partners take one of two paths: they either revert to what’s already been done or rush to implement emerging technologies just to say they offer them.

That’s not how we do things at TCDI.

After Ari’s discussion, our Founder and CEO, Bill Johnson, laid out his vision for 2025, and his message was clear. Our role isn’t to shy away from being cutting edge; it’s to guide our clients there safely. That means leveraging AI in ways that make sense, ensuring thoughtful implementation, and rigorously testing each solution before it becomes part of our process.

Addressing the Gaps in Legal Technology

The reality is that there isn’t a lack of technology. In fact, there are more legal tech solutions today than ever before. But an oversaturated market doesn’t make it an optimized one. Many legal teams find themselves burdened with redundant platforms, fragmented workflows, and technology that fails to deliver on its promises.

At TCDI, we don’t believe in adding more noise to an already crowded space. Instead, we focus on building technology to address the real problems legal teams are facing that off-the-shelf solutions don’t solve.

Here are some of the biggest gaps we’re currently seeing, and how we’re working to solve them:

  • Seamless Integration: Legal professionals shouldn’t have to jump between disconnected platforms to understand the status of their matters or to complete routine tasks. That’s why we prioritize building APIs and integrations that connect our software with tools that our clients are already using.
  • Intuitive User Experience: A solution is only as good as its usability. If the user interface is too complex, legal teams won’t adopt it, no matter how comprehensive. Our development philosophy centers on a user-centric design that makes users efficient, not frustrated.
  • Process-Driven AI: AI has the potential to transform legal workflows, but only when implemented with purpose. Instead of layering AI onto every feature for the sake of innovation, we focus on integrating these solutions into established legal workflows when needed to improve accuracy, speed, and defensibility.
  • Customization and Scalability: No two legal teams operate the same way. That’s why rigid, one-size-fits-all technology often falls short. Our solutions are designed to be flexible, allowing corporate legal departments and their outside counsel to adapt them to their specific workflows and scale as needed.
  • Affordability: Legal technology shouldn’t be reserved for only the largest organizations with the biggest budgets. We structure our solutions to be cost-effective, ensuring legal departments of all sizes can access the technology they need to stay competitive.

Who's Driving the Future of Legal Tech?

To close these gaps, legal technology must evolve in the right direction, and that can’t happen in isolation. While vendors and technology partners are actively developing these tools, they need to be shaped by the people who use it, challenge it, and demand more from it.

The real drivers of innovation include:

  • Legal Technology Companies (Like Us!): We bring the technical expertise needed to make legal technology a reality, but we rely on continuous feedback from our clients to build systems that actually meet their needs.
  • Legal Professionals and Clients: The real-world challenges faced by corporate legal counsel, outside counsel, and litigation support professionals provide the foundation for meaningful technology development. Without their insights, and their need for faster, more efficient solutions, innovation can lack direction.
  • Industry Thought Leaders: Those who sit at the intersection of law and technology deeply understand both the risks and the technical capabilities of emerging solutions. Their perspective helps identify not just where technology can improve legal workflows but also the likelihood of adoption in the industry.
  • Academics and Researchers: Research plays a crucial role in determining how emerging technologies like AI can be applied responsibly in legal workflows.

Only by working collaboratively can legal tech innovators deliver real, measurable value.

A Thoughtful Approach to Innovation

Our development team works closely with clients, members of our TCDI Tech Lab who actively evaluate new technologies, and thought leaders who contribute to industry discussions at organizations like The Sedona Conference. By incorporating these different perspectives, our team can focus their energy on creating technology that is both innovative and practical.

Guided by these insights, our approach to development is built on three key principles:

  • Continuous Learning: Emerging technologies are changing quickly and require constant evaluation. As part of our Lean Six Sigma (LSS) approach, continuous learning encourages us to assess new advancements, adapt our solutions, and ensure they remain effective and aligned with industry needs.
  • Strategic Partnerships: Along with developing our own proprietary platforms, we also partner with leading technology organizations such as Altumatim, TackleAI, Relativity, and CaseText by Thomson Reuters. These partnerships allow us to provide clients with the best solution for their individual matters, seamlessly integrating our partners’ technology into our existing workflows to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and defensibility.
  • Responsible AI: AI should enhance legal work, not create new risks. We prioritize fairness, transparency, and data privacy throughout every stage of development.

Future-Proofing Technology

However, no matter how thoughtful the approach to innovation may be, technology is only useful if it stands the test of time. This is why we don’t limit our focus on what works in today’s environment. Our development process ensures that every solution we create is built for longevity and adaptability.

We focus on:

  • Agile Development: Continuous iteration allows us to refine and improve solutions based on results and user feedback.
  • Security and Compliance: Legal work involves sensitive data, and we take that responsibility seriously. That’s why we undergo a SOC 2 Type II audit every year and became the first Relativity Partner to achieve their Security & Best Practices competency. These efforts, along with our comprehensive security standards, are designed to protect client information at every level.
  • Scalability and Reliability: Whether it’s a small matter or a large-scale litigation project, our solutions are designed to handle increasing demands without compromising performance.

How Legal Teams Can Separate Value from Hype

Selecting which solutions will truly stand the test of time can be harder than it seems. With so many options available, the real challenge isn’t finding technology; it’s finding the right technology.

That is why we encourage legal teams to take a critical approach during the evaluation process:

  • Define Your Needs: Identify the specific challenges you’re trying to solve before exploring new technology to stay focused.
  • Request Demos: Don’t rely on marketing claims or sales pitches. Schedule a demo to see the technology in action, and don’t be afraid to ask the vendor to highlight specific features that directly relate to the problems you’re trying to solve.
  • Ask for Case Studies and Testimonials: Learn from others who have implemented the solution. Consider whether they have seen real improvements due to the technology.
  • Focus on ROI: Technology should drive efficiency while reducing overall costs. If it doesn’t, it may not be the right investment.

A Commitment to the Future

At TCDI, we’re committed to building the future of legal technology, not just talk about it.

The legal industry doesn’t need more buzzwords and features that sound impressive without delivering results. It needs solutions that simplify workflows, enhance security, and provide measurable value.

That’s what we do. After all, the future of legal technology isn’t just about keeping up; it’s about leading with purpose.

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Mary  Walsh

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Mary began her career in 1995 as a Business Analyst in healthcare, then on to a couple of small IT firms, then to government, and then back to healthcare again. She is experienced in technical data analysis, gathering requirements, writing documentation, software testing, user training, and designing training materials. Mary is also an award-winning author of 14 books, including TCDI’s Knights of the Corporate Round Table.