Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of “Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel!” This is one of my favorite posts of the year because every summer for the past nine years or so, I have written about “cool tech” for in-house lawyers – and this year is no exception. If you would like to see past editions of the “cool tech” edition, check out footnote 1 below.[1] As always, I have been scanning the technology horizon like Captain Ahab, searching for the most elusive prize of all – useful technology that will make in-house lawyers more productive (in addition to making work easier and – hopefully – more fun and interesting). In my new book on productivity for in-house lawyers, I have chapters on technology generally and ChatGPT specifically. And if you have been reading my other books, this blog, or my LinkedIn posts over the years, you know that I am a big fan of technology, especially technology that enhances the productivity of the legal department and its value to the business.
As always, I like to find and highlight technology that is easy to use and low cost – delivering big value with little effort or expense (though occasionally – like today – I will highlight something that is a bigger lift cost-wise but likely to pay big dividends). As usual, I make no promises or warranties of any kind, implied or express (got to cover my ass when I can) and I can also assure you that I get nothing for recommending the technology below. I just think these are all useful tools and worth your time checking them out. Ready to get into it? Great, here we go with my “Ten Things” cool tech 2024 edition:
Ten Things You Need to Know as In-House Counsel® 