Consero General Counsel Forum 2023 Wrap-Up

We wrapped up the 2023 conference season with the Consero General Counsel Forum at the historic Biltmore Hotel in beautiful Coral Gables.🌴 Whether it was the mild November weather or the rapidly approaching holiday season, the mood was festive and energetic. We enjoyed two days working with a dynamic group of legal leaders eager to connect with their peers and find solutions to thorny problems.

AI – again…

It’s no surprise that AI was again the subject of many panels and casual discussions, but there was also the sense that it’s all getting to be a bit much.

Themes:

• Lots of discussions and deep curiosity but little consensus on proper use cases 📣  
• Ongoing trust issues with AI at this early stage 🫣
• Careful watchers but may be slower adopters preferring to see what happens when the hype fades 👁️  

Takeaways:

With the hype cycle comes the overuse of the term. In-house legal teams are faced with a very noisy market touting products with “AI” but there’s no consistency with the value it brings product to product. There’s a creeping realization that the overuse of labelling something as “AI” is akin to plastering “all natural” across food and beauty products. What does it actually mean? As a result, many are stepping back to read the label more closely.

There are still loads of questions to be answered – to name a few:

• Do I really need it?
• What is the ROI?
• Can I trust it?

The sense is that General Counsels will continue to cautiously observe and wait for news of successful use cases before jumping in with both feet. It will be interesting to see where the discussion is a year from now.

Notwithstanding some skepticism, the in-house legal market understands that AI is here to stay, and that the march toward it will be relentless now until its value and adoption are proven. For those who are yet to start on their in-house legal technology journey, they interpret the message as: we are at risk of being left behind.

In-house legal matter management software was a hot topic amongst attendees who want to lay foundational tools and who understand the need for data to start to build their understanding of where AI may help them in the future.

Roundtable discussion – strategic planning

We had the pleasure to lead two engaged groups in a rotating roundtable to share helpful insights for how legal leaders are tackling challenges around strategic planning.

Themes:

• GCs often feel so buried in work that it's hard, if not impossible, to pause and contemplate strategic projects
• Legal Departments that proactively plan will be better positioned to thrive
• Maybe 10% of the participants currently engage in formal legal strategic planning

Takeaways:

• GCs are interested in improving their approach to legal strategic planning
• GCs need help refining metrics to measure strategic success
• There is a large appetite for the open sharing of insights into how their peers approach getting out from under the busywork to accomplish meaningful improvements in process, identify operational adjustments that enhance service delivery, and demonstrate value

General takeaway from the Consero General Counsel Forum

There’s been a big shift in 2023 when it comes to LegalTech with General Counsels transitioning from “moderately curious observer” to “I’m ready to take action.” Whether it was a formal meeting or a casual conversation over dinner, the attendees were engaged and interested in learning how in house legal department software can help them improve operational efficiency. GCs are less cautious and skeptical and more willing to take action – and quickly.

Bring on 2024!

Get started on your legal strategic plan now

If you're ready to get started on your legal strategic plan, download our white paper and template now. To learn how legal matter management software can help your legal team demonstrate value and improve operational efficiency, get in touch with the Xakia team today for a demo.