Why Law Firms Should Review What They Have Before Investing in New Technology

Mark Garnish, COO and co-founder of Xperate, has been featured in the first article of a new three-part series from Today’s Media exploring how law firms can select the right technology.

The article brings together insight from David Baskerville, consultant at Baskerville Drummond; Mark Garnish, COO and Co-Founder at Xperate; Tom Lyes, Founder and CEO of Tom Lyes Consultancy; and Laura Wood, legal technology specialist at Birketts LLP.

Together, the contributors look at a common challenge for law firms: how to make better use of existing technology before investing in something new.

David Baskerville discusses the importance of carrying out an independent audit of a firm’s technology stack, looking at what systems are in place, what they cost and whether they still support the firm’s operational and strategic objectives.

Tom Lyes highlights the value of supplier ownership and scorecards, encouraging firms to understand which relationships are working well, where risk exists and where consolidation may be needed.

Laura Wood explains how legal technology decisions can often sit across different teams and priorities, making collaboration between legal, IT and key stakeholders essential for successful implementation and long-term adoption.

Mark’s contribution focuses on a challenge Xperate sees regularly in practice. Many firms are not struggling because they have chosen the wrong tools, but because their technology estates have evolved without structured ownership or ongoing review.

The result is often fragmentation, with multiple systems solving overlapping problems and limited integration between them. Mark highlights the need for a more structured approach built around three key principles:

Understand. Optimise. Transform.

This starts with auditing existing platforms against core business processes such as the matter lifecycle, finance, document workflows, reporting and integration.

While many firms use the core functionality of their systems well, Mark notes that more advanced features around workflow, automation, reporting and integration are often underused. In many cases, the issue is not the technology itself, but configuration gaps, limited training, lack of internal ownership or insufficient ongoing engagement with vendors.

Over time, this can create the perception that existing systems are no longer fit for purpose. Firms may then look externally for new solutions, when significant value could be achieved by revisiting, refining, and better configuring what is already in place.

For Xperate, the message is clear. Legal technology should not be treated as a one-off project. It needs regular review, clear ownership and a practical focus on how systems support the people and processes across the firm.

Before asking what to buy next, law firms should first ask what they already have, how well it is working, and whether it is being used to its full potential.

Read the full article on Today’s Conveyancer’s website  here.

You can also read our summaries of edition two here and edition two here.