Talk about disruption. The almost legendary legal department at General Electric Co.—where general counsel Ben Heineman Jr. reigned for 18 years and enshrined the “lawyer-statesperson” model—is innovating once again.

In a move certain to shake up GE’s in-house counsel structure, UnitedLex, an Overland Park, Kansas-based legal services company, said Thursday that GE has signed a multiyear contract to expand its use of UnitedLex’s services. The move will reduce Boston-based GE’s legal spend by 30 percent, according to the announcement, while greatly enhancing the legal team’s digital processing across the globe.