Legal departments have invested heavily in improving operations. Almost half of legal departments have a head of legal operations, 26 percent have a designated IT counsel, and 20 percent have a data analytics professional. Further, departments have purchased or built matter management, e-billing, or contract management systems. Legal departments have professionalized in an effort to keep pace with their rapidly changing businesses.

But are our legal departments more effective today than they were 10 years ago? To answer that question, let’s start with legal department’s fundamental goals. While wording and mileage may vary, most legal departments focus on enabling achievement of business goals, enhancing the company’s strategic position, managing risk to the appropriate level, and efficiently execute business priorities.