Extract from Richard Finkelman, Gevorg Karapetyan, Tom Martin, Kassi Burns, and Olga V. Mack’s article “Refining Data’s Lifecycle for Legal Tech Innovators and Operations Specialists”
Legal technology is transforming how data is managed, enabling unprecedented efficiency and insight in e-discovery, investigations, and compliance. Yet, innovation without a strategic framework can create as many problems as it solves. Bloated AI models become resource drains, spiraling e-discovery costs overwhelm budgets, and poorly managed data amplifies compliance risks. Without the right approach, the same data that powers innovation can turn into an operational liability.
For legal tech builders and operations specialists, the stakes are uniquely high. Your role is not just to deliver tools that streamline processes and provide effective and reliable results but also to anticipate and manage the ethical and environmental implications of the solutions you create. As the demand for more advanced and data-driven systems grows, so does the responsibility to ensure those systems are unbiased, sustainable, and risk-conscious.
This article presents a roadmap for mastering data’s lifecycle, framed around three key pillars: (1) minimization, (2) curation, and (3) transformation.
These principles are designed to help you address operational risks, foster meaningful innovation, and deliver solutions that cut costs while maximizing impact. Whether you’re building AI tools, designing legal operations workflows, or managing data governance systems, these strategies will empower you to innovate responsibly while setting new standards for efficiency and sustainability.
