The GLS Legal Operations Centre

Legal Operations

The GLS Legal Transformation Tube Map - An Intelligence & Planning Solution

The GLS Legal Transformation Tube MapA Transformation Planning & Intelligence System for…

5 mins • 21 Jan 26

Legal Operations

The GLS Contracting Doctrine: How to Engineer an Industrial-Scale Contracting Function

Introduction: A new approach to your contracting function is neededContracting is one of the most…

• 19 Jan 26

In-House Careers

Engineering In-House Legal Team Performance - Why In-House Legal Teams Cannot Scale Without a Deliberate Human Capital System

Engineering Legal PerformanceHow the GLS Human Capital Line Makes Performance Scalable1.…

7 mins • 17 Jan 26

In-House Careers

Managing Lawyers to Engineering Legal Performance - Why Traditional In-House Legal Models No Longer Scale

IntroductionFor many years, in-house legal teams have been managed using human capital models…

• 17 Jan 26

Contracting

How to Effectively Produce Global or Regional Contract Templates

How to Produce a Global or Regional Contract TemplateWhy most in-house attempts fail, why CLMS…

10 min • 16 Jan 26

Legal Tech

AI Contract Review: Brilliant, Flawed, and Absolutely Essential

Introduction: The Reality Behind the BuzzAI Contract Review is one of the most exciting…

5 minutes • 15 Jan 26

Legal Operations

Why Legal Metrics Must Come Before KPIs — Decision Quality as the Missing Discipline in Legal Performance

In-house legal teams are increasingly assessed on outcomes: speed, cost, risk management, and…

5 min • 15 Jan 26

Legal Operations

In-House Careers: Review Your Performance

In-House Legal Tip: Getting better means actively looking for ways to improve. Taking time to do…

2 minutes • 15 Jan 26

Legal Tech

Drafting Collaboration Platforms: The Promise vs The Reality

Introduction: The Allure of Collaboration TechDrafting Collaboration Platforms (DCPs) are…

6 minutes • 14 Jan 26

Legal Tech

Internal Client Engagement: Tech That Brings You Closer - or Pushes You Away

The Big Problem Nobody Talks AboutLegal tech is everywhere. AI-driven contract review, workflow…

5 minutes • 14 Jan 26

Legal Tech

Why Tech Procurement Is the Silent Killer of Legal Tech Success

Procurement can be an obstacle to legal tech procurementLegal tech failure doesn’t happen in…

5 minutes • 14 Jan 26

Legal Operations

Workload Forecasting & Diagnostics: The Discipline Behind High‑Performance In‑House Legal Teams

Executive Premise: You must own your data analytics agendaWorkload forecasting and diagnostics is…

8 min • 14 Jan 26

Contracting

Contract Automation: Technically Brilliant, Behaviourally Broken

Introduction: The Automation ParadoxContract automation is one of legal tech’s most seductive…

5 minutes • 13 Jan 26

Legal Tech

eSignature Implementation – How to Do It Right

eSignatures: Sounds easy enough right?Buying an eSignature platform is easy. Making it work…

5 minutes • 13 Jan 26

Legal Tech

Why Operating Without a Data Incident Response Plan Is a Catastrophic Gamble

Opening HookImagine this: It’s 3:00 a.m. on a Sunday. Your CEO calls – regulators have…

5 minutes • 13 Jan 26

Legal Tech

Why Operating Without a Data Protection Policy Is Playing Russian Roulette with Your Reputation

Opening HookPicture this: Your legal team has just rolled out a shiny new contract automation…

5 minutes • 13 Jan 26

Leadership & Management

In-House Lawyers: Strapping F1 engines onto Shopping Carts

Introduction: Its not the cost of the lawyer, its the ROIThis paper is an introduction to the GLS…

5 min • 12 Jan 26

Leadership & Management

Introducing the GLS Human Capital Line For In-House Legal Teams

This paper is the second in a two-part series.In the first paper — In-House Lawyers: Strapping…

5 min • 12 Jan 26

Legal Tech

The GLS Legal Tech Doctrine - Make Legal Tech Work For You

Introduction: Legal Tech has proved inaccessible for most legal teamsLegal technology has reached…

5 minutes • 11 Jan 26

Legal Operations

How to Optimise Your Legal Department Processes

Optimising Your Legal Department ProcessesA Practical Guide to World-Class Process DesignIn the…

8mim • 11 Jan 26

Legal Tech

Why CLMS Projects Fail — And How to Get Them Right

Introduction: The CLMS ParadoxContract Lifecycle Management Platforms (CLMS) are marketed as the…

5 minutes • 11 Jan 26

Legal Operations

In-House Legal Department Processes & Procedures - Your Core Operating Infrastructure

Why They Matter More Than Most Legal Teams Realise — and How to Make Them WorkFor many in-house…

8mim • 10 Jan 26

Legal Tech

Legal Tech Landscape: Why You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

Let’s Start With the TruthMost in-house legal leaders have no real understanding of the legal…

5 minutes • 09 Jan 26

Legal Operations

Under the Hood: Why Legal Leaders Are Driving Blind

The Car Analogy – Delivered Up FrontMost in-house legal leaders know what makes their legal…

3 min • 09 Jan 26

Legal Tech

De-Complicate Your Legal Tech Agenda: The Safeguard Against the Sinkhole

Legal Tech: The Frequent Sobering Reality◼️Imagine signing a $1M contract for a legal tech…

6 minutes • 08 Jan 26

Legal Operations

Legal Operations Planning: The Architect Behind Legal Transformation

IntroductionLegal Tech is everywhere. AI-driven contract review, predictive analytics, workflow…

6 minutes • 08 Jan 26

Leadership & Management

Why the GLS Internal Client Line Is a Powerful Framework for Fixing the Legal–Business Relationship

Why the GLS Internal Client Line Is a Powerful Framework for Fixing the Legal–Business…

• 03 Jan 26

Legal Tech

Low Tech Initiatives: The Smartest Tech Move You’ll Ever Make

The Big Idea: Liberation Through DefinitionLet’s start with the GLS definition of legal…

5 minutes • 03 Jan 26

Legal Operations

Contract Closure Time: The Metric That Defines Contracting ROI

Contract Closure TimeWhy This Single Metric Defines the Real ROI of Contracting TransformationIn…

9 mins • 26 Dec 25

Legal Operations

Why Legal Intake Is the Most Foundational Station on the GLS Legal Operations Tube Map

Why Legal Intake Is the Most Foundational Station on the GLS Legal Operations Tube MapIf you…

6 minutes • 26 Dec 25

Leadership & Management

Designing the Legal Operating Model Around the Talent You Actually Have

Introduction: The Most Uncomfortable Design ConstraintWhen in-house legal leaders talk about…

3 min • 23 Dec 25

Legal Tech

Legal Tech Agenda: The Harbinger of Home for Legal Tech Transformation

Start With the Right DefinitionBefore you even think about building a legal tech agenda, you need…

6 minutes • 23 Dec 25

Leadership & Management

Speed vs Defensibility: Where In-House Legal Credibility Is Won or Lost

Introduction: The False Choice Legal Is Forced to MakeEvery in-house legal team hears the same…

6 min • 23 Dec 25

Legal Operations

Shadow Legal Teams | The Quiet Organisational Failure

Introduction: The Problem No One Wants to NameShadow legal teams are one of the most damaging…

3 min • 23 Dec 25

Leadership & Management

What Boards Should Ask When Legal Says It Is “Hybrid”

Introduction: Why Boards Need to Interrogate “Hybrid”When management says the legal function…

3 min • 22 Dec 25

Legal Tech

Time Recording: The Strategic Lens Your Legal Team Can’t Ignore

Introduction: The Elephant in the RoomLet’s start with the uncomfortable truth: most in-house…

5 minutes • 22 Dec 25

Leadership & Management

Why Hybrid Legal Models Fail Without Authority

Introduction: The Most Popular Model Is Also the Most DangerousIf you ask most in-house legal…

4 min • 22 Dec 25

Legal Operations

GLS: The Real State of In-House Legal – 2025/26 in 7 Minutes

Introduction: A year in review and an accurate pulse checkMost year-end review pieces in legal…

5 min • 22 Dec 25

Leadership & Management

Legal Department Operating Models: Centralised, Embedded & Hybrid

Introduction: This Is Not a Theoretical DebateEvery in-house legal leader eventually faces the…

5 min • 22 Dec 25

Legal Tech

Key Observations on AI Invoice Review

Introduction: Why This MattersAI Invoice Review is often marketed as a silver bullet for legal…

5 minutes • 22 Dec 25

Legal Operations

Legal Department Mandate: The Job Description You Forgot

IntroductionWould you hire a CFO without a job description? Would you appoint a COO without KPIs?…

3 min • 19 Dec 25

Compliance

Compliance Workflow

Introduction: Compliance Does Not Operate on Intent - It Operates on WorkflowMost organisations…

4 min • 17 Dec 25

Compliance

Policy Infrastructure Audit

Introduction: Policies Are the Backbone of Compliance - or Its Weakest LinkEvery compliance…

4 min • 17 Dec 25

Compliance

The Importance of Correctly Assigning Roles & Responsibilities in a Compliance Team

Introduction: Compliance Does Not Fail Because of Bad IntentionsMost compliance failures do not…

4 min • 17 Dec 25

Managing External Counsel

Stop Briefing Your Mates: Why GCs Must Rethink External Legal Relationships

IntroductionLet’s talk about the elephant in the legal department.For all the talk of…

• 08 Dec 25

Legal Tech

DMS / Email: The Backbone You Forgot

The Big Wake-Up CallLet’s start with the truth: most in-house legal teams do not have a…

5 minutes • 08 Dec 25

Legal Operations

Killing the Bureaucracy Myth: Why LSRFs Are Non-Negotiable

Introduction: Why Resistance HappensEvery in-house leader has heard it-or thought it…

3 min • 08 Dec 25

Legal Operations

From Inbox to Insights: Why 90% of Legal Teams Are Flying Blind

IntroductionHere’s the brutal truth: 90% of in-house legal teams do not operate a formal Legal…

3 min • 08 Dec 25

Legal Tech

Specialist Legal Apps: Why Precision Beats Complexity

Introduction: The Big Legal Tech MythLegal tech vendors love to sell the dream of the all-in-one…

5 minutes • 08 Dec 25

Legal Operations

Decision-Ready Submissions: The Standard That Ends Chaos

IntroductionLegal teams waste countless hours chasing missing details, clarifying vague…

3 min • 08 Dec 25

Legal Operations

The Intake Form Is Your Data Well: Why Legal Teams Fail Without It

IntroductionLegal teams often resist implementing Legal Service Request Forms (LSRFs), fearing…

3 min • 08 Dec 25

Managed Services

10 Ways GLS Overflow™ Can Help Your In-House Team With Today’s Problems

IntroductionThe in-house legal team that is too busy to spend time on strategies to become less…

2 min • 26 Nov 25

Legal Tech

Why eSignature Adoption Works

Opening HookPicture this: a high-value deal is ready to close. The terms are agreed, the…

5 minutes • 13 Nov 25

Managed Services

Managed Legal Services versus Legal Secondments

Managed Legal Services and the Changing LandscapeHistorically, in-house legal departments have…

3 min • 13 Nov 25

Legal Operations

Legal Ops: Deploying An Agile Resourcing Strategy For Legal Professionals

IntroductionThe resourcing of legal departments traditionally centered around full-time staff and…

15 mins • 06 Nov 25

Legal Operations

Customised Standardisation: The Strategic Discipline That Will Help Make Your Contracting Function Future Ready

Introduction: The Lawyer’s ReflexLawyers are trained to spot exceptions. It’s our superpower.…

5 min • 03 Nov 25

Managed Services

Do Law Firm Panels Make Sense?

IntroductionThe 2023 Legal Department Operations Index reported that 78% of in-house legal…

5 min • 30 Oct 25

Contracting

Stop the Leak: How Legal Teams Can Recover Value Seepage from Commercial Contracts

Introduction: The Hidden Drain on Enterprise ValueEvery commercial contract is a promise of…

• 29 Oct 25

Legal Operations

In-House Counsel: Build An Effective Internal Client Strategy

IntroductionMany in-house lawyers appreciate not having to go out into the market to find and…

22 min • 23 Oct 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Define Your Career Vision

IntroductionDo you have a clear vision of where you want your in-house career to go?Here’s why…

• 14 Oct 25

Contracting

Transform Your Contracting Function in Just 100 Days

IntroductionContracts are the backbone of every business, yet many legal teams struggle with…

• 02 Oct 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Enhance Cross-Functional Collaboration

IntroductionAre legal, procurement, finance, and business units aligned during your contracting…

• 30 Sep 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Ensure Regular Contract Audits

IntroductionAre you regularly reviewing executed contracts for compliance, performance, and…

• 23 Sep 25

Legal Team Documentation

The Deal’s Done. Now Who Approved That Clause?

IntroductionLet’s be honest: most legal teams don’t have the time – or the tools – to…

• 17 Sep 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Train Business Teams

IntroductionDo your business stakeholders understand the basics of your contracting…

• 16 Sep 25

Legal Operations

In-House Legal Tip: The Clause Bank - Unleash Its Power

IntroductionHigh-performance in-house legal departments utilize “Clause Banks” to drive…

1 min • 10 Sep 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Set Contracting KPIs

Are You Tracking How Well Your Contracting Process Is Performing?Here’s why setting KPIs is…

• 09 Sep 25

Contracting

Legal Ops Essentials: 21 Tips to Achieve Plain English Contract Drafting

Legal Ops Essentials: 21 Tips to Achieve Plain English Contract DraftingTraditional legal writing…

• 04 Sep 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Establish Clear Approval Workflows

IntroductionDoes everyone know who needs to approve what, and when, in your contracting process?…

• 02 Sep 25

Legal Operations

Integration Without Tears: Connecting LSRFs to CLMS and Workflow Tools

IntroductionLegal tech adoption often fails-not because the software is bad, but because the…

3 min • 01 Sep 25

Legal Operations

Legal Ops Tools: Contracting Playbooks

IntroductionA “contract Playbook” is a legal function tool that helps a company (well its…

3 min • 27 Aug 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Automate Routine Contracts

Are simple contracts eating up too much of your legal team’s time?Here’s why automating…

• 26 Aug 25

Legal Operations

In-House Legal Tip: 10 Tips For A Great In-House Legal Team Training Program

Legal Ops Tip: Productivity through trainingIn order to pursue constant in-house legal team…

3 • 20 Aug 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Implement a Contract Management System

Are your contracts organized, accessible, and easy to manage?Here’s why a contract management…

• 19 Aug 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Standardise Templates

Are your contracts consistent, clear, and easy to use across the business? If you are familiar…

• 12 Aug 25

Legal Operations

Legal Ops Essentials: What Does Good Legal Team Leadership Look Like

Leadership has always been a complicated field and as such it really needs to be hit hard with…

2 min • 07 Aug 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Enhance Negotiation Skills

Negotiation is a critical skill for in-house lawyers. Are you consistently securing favorable…

• 05 Aug 25

Internal Client

Essential Legal Training for Your Internal Clients

Why is Legal Training Essential for Your Internal Clients?It is an incontrovertible truth that…

4 min • 31 Jul 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Navigating Internal Power Dynamics as an In-House Lawyer

Are internal power dynamics limiting the effectiveness of your in-house team?Organisational power…

• 21 Jul 25

Legal Operations

The Benefits of Effective Legal Operations

The Benefits Of Effective Legal OperationsIf you have had prior dealings with GLS, you will have…

12 mins • 16 Jul 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Expand Your Network

Are you building relationships within and outside your organization?You can be the smartest…

• 14 Jul 25

Legal Operations

Legal Team Efficiency: A Legal Operations Model That Works

Legal Team Efficiency: A Legal Operations Model That WorksA legal operations capability is a key…

10 mins • 10 Jul 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Seek Regular Feedback

Are you actively asking for feedback to improve? Here’s why seeking regular feedback matters:…

4 mins • 07 Jul 25

Legal Operations

What Is Legal Operations?

What Are Legal Operations? They support the business’s legal function, taking a…

4 mins • 03 Jul 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Take on Stretch Assignments

Are you doing the kind of work that you want to be doing? Are you volunteering for projects that…

• 27 Jun 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Enhance Your Business Acumen

Do you truly understand your company’s business, goals, and challenges?Here’s why enhancing…

• 23 Jun 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Find a Mentor or Sponsor

Do you have someone guiding and advocating for your in-house career growth?Show me one truly…

• 19 Jun 25

Managed Services

GLS Legal Ops: Legal Department Cost Reduction Tips

GLS Legal Ops: Legal Department Cost Reduction Tips All in-house legal teams are being asked to…

2 min • 19 Jun 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Build a Development Plan

Do you have a structured plan for your career development?Here’s why building a development…

• 11 Jun 25

Legal Operations

The 4 Stages Of Legal Department Transformation

Stage 1: Assessing the Current State of your in-house legal team: Legal department leaders must…

5 min • 11 Jun 25

Legal Operations

16 Unacceptable In-House Legal Resource Management Wastage Scenarios

IntroductionEffective legal resource management is a critical aspect of running a successful…

5 min • 29 May 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Review and Optimize Processes

When Was The Last Time You Reviewed And Streamlined Your Contracting Workflow? Here’s why…

3 min • 22 May 25

Legal Operations

Stop The Chaos: Why Your Legal Team Needs Structured Legal Instructions

Who Should Take Responsibility for Clear Legal Instructions?When it comes to legal instructions,…

3 mins • 12 May 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Develop Playbooks

Do your team members have clear guidance on key terms and fallback positions?Here’s why…

• 08 May 25

Legal Operations

25 Signs Your Legal Team Needs to Transform

Identifying Legal Team InefficienciesIn this installment of GLS's Legal Ops Essentials - we…

3 mins • 22 Apr 25

Legal Operations

20 Tips For Blueprinting Your Legal Team’s Transformation

How To Engage In Successful Transformation Planning In this Blog, we want to pull together some…

5 mins • 09 Apr 25

Legal Tech

Track or Fall Behind: Why In-House Teams Must Leverage Legal KPIs

The Underappreciation of In-House Legal Teams Most in-house legal teams face a common challenge -…

3 min • 26 Mar 25

In-House Performance Tips

In-House Tip: Embrace Legal Tech Innovations

Why Legal Tech Is So Essential Legal technology can transform how you work, saving time and…

2 minutes • 25 Mar 25

Internal Client

The True Cost of Unrealistic Legal Deadlines

Arbitrary Legal Deadlines Legal deadlines dictate the pace of work for in-house legal teams, but…

4 min • 17 Mar 25

Legal Operations

Top 10 Legal Docs - The Work Horses

Introduction Ten foundational legal documents underpin the majority of the vital processes…

8 minutes • 12 Mar 25