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One Solution Fits All or Single and Specific?

Recently, I caught myself asking the same question of everyone I met professionally, whether at conferences or while initiating conversations. Equally, I have been asked the same question by almost everyone: How are you using AI in your work ? And the answers have been informative. In this post, I want to explore this question, focusing on the applications, solutions and systems used for regular day-to-day operations in organizations, rather than the underlying LLMs powering these applications. Before AI, there were already different solutions Before ChatGPT made its debut (sort of), there were already different solutions designed for specific requirements. And that made sense too. In-house legal teams have different requirements from law firms. CLM and spend management systems for in-house teams serve different purposes from contract drafting, reviewing and billing systems used by law firms. Interestingly, matter management across different practices within a law firm also has ...
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Who Actually Manages the Practice? Understanding Practice Management in a Law Firm

Law firms, regardless of their size and revenue, already had basic business teams - accounts and IT and may be administrative. With the increase in awareness about running law firm as a business, the law firms are increasingly taking corporate style avatars with specific business teams managing specific functions. Finance manages finance controls including investments in technology, HR manages people and performances, Business Development and Market Communications managing publications, branding, PR, and Innovation manages technology. Then who is managing Practice?  Practice Management is not new and certainly doesn't replace these teams or their functions. Practice Management does not generally own client origination. Its contribution to growth is different -  understanding how the practice is performing and providing the operational information that helps Partners steer the law firm's business and make better growth decisions.  At its broadest definition, law firm Pract...
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Frameworks # 01 - What a Practice Management System Doesn't Tell You: An Operational Assessment Framework

Practice Management System records work. It does not necessarily improve how work is performed. It allows time records, invoice generation, cashflow predictions, but it doesn't translate to why there are operational bottlenecks, inconsistent reporting, duplicated efforts, communication gaps.  Yes, there is a sea of choices for selecting the best technology or rather appropriate technology. Yes,  significant time and resources is invested in implementing technology.  And then, yes, the discovery hits - technology cannot compensate for unclear processes or undefined operational ownership. My experience of advising on Practice Management Systems and legal operations has led me to ask a different set of questions—both before technology investments are made and after systems are implemented. Looking Beyond the System Instead of focussing on the features of the system, i.e., what it can and cannot do, the focus should be on understanding whether the firm's operational model sup...
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AI Policy and Governance - Part 2

In Part 1 , I explored the challenges of AI adoption—particularly around misaligned policies and governance.  For leadership, the challenge is no longer whether to adopt AI—but how to retain control over its use. Business Impact - Loss of Control for General Counsels, CIOs: The real issue is not the absence of AI—it is the absence of  visibility and control over its use . The result is a systemic breakdown: workflows are automated without oversight, business users solve problems independently, legal teams remain unaware, and compliance team identify risks too late. This creates a  loss of operational control  across the organization.  This is already visible in day-to-day operations: A sales team uses generative AI tools to draft customer contracts, without clarity on approved templates or risk clauses. Employees upload confidential documents into generative AI tools to “get quick insights,” without understanding data exposure risks. Operations teams a...
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AI Policy and Governance - Part 1

I got curious about the actual job market after being inundated with bold predictions -  jobs disappearing, new skills emerging, roles being redefined with higher packages. I turned to LinkedIn to explore the jobs and I came across something interesting. I came across a company that builds its entire business on AI—and yet restricts how AI can be used during hiring.  That company is Zapier , integrating more than 9000 web applications across categories to automate repetitive task without any code. Zapier proudly states " we’re all about working smarter — and that includes using AI " and yet in hiring they emphasize " We want to get to know you — your experience, your ideas, and how you think — not what a tool generates for you ".  Real Conflicts: Zapier's policy of outlining 'acceptable usage' and 'unacceptable usage' of generative AI highlights the the fundamental conflicts many companies are facing - speed vs control . Employees adopt AI to w...
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Agentic AI, Claude Cowork, and the Question of Accountability

A few months ago, after reading the Harvard Business Review article “Can AI Agents Be Trusted?” by Blair Levin and Larry Downs, I shared a brief reflection on LinkedIn. My observation at the time was that agentic AI seemed to be moving from the testing phase toward real implementation, and that the conversation might soon shift from who should regulate AI to what aspects of AI need to be regulated as these systems become goal oriented. In response, Garrison English, Esq., MBA raised an important question: if AI agents become goal-oriented systems, how should accountability and oversight evolve when these tools begin integrating into critical sectors? At the time, I did not respond immediately. But the recent excitement around Claude Cowork made me revisit that question. Ever since Claude Cowork made its debut, the buzz around it being a “game changer” has been relentless. Nearly every day my Google Alerts seemed to be filled with articles discussing it. The trigger for this excite...
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Technology Transfer and IP Licensing from a Marketing Perspective

 In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, intellectual property (IP) is no longer just a legal asset or a checkbox for investors. IP has become a powerful marketing tool—cutting across industries and departments. Whenever there's a conversation around mergers and acquisitions, divestments, spin-offs, or joint ventures, two terms often come up: technology transfer and licensing . Technology transfer is exactly what it sounds like—the sharing or transmission of technology. This can include know-how, skills, manufacturing methods, and other proprietary knowledge. But here's the key: there is no transfer of IP ownership and no permission to use the IP unless explicitly stated. The IP stays with the original owner. You’ll typically see this kind of collaboration between universities and industries, governments and private entities, or within multinational corporations—where regional teams share innovations to boost R&D and bring products from the lab to the market. ...
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