Stakeholder Strategy is the structured approach to aligning all relevant parties—legal, IT, procurement, compliance, and business units—around shared ownership of legal technology outcomes. It is the governance glue that binds diverse interests into a unified transformation agenda.

Legal tech projects fail more often because of people than technology. When ownership is fragmented, gaps emerge: legal assumes IT will handle technical issues; IT assumes legal will manage compliance; procurement focuses on cost without considering functionality. The result? Misaligned priorities, delayed decisions, and rollouts that underdeliver.

Stakeholder Strategy eliminates these silos. It creates clarity on roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority. It embeds collaboration into governance structures, ensuring that every stakeholder understands their contribution to success. It also fosters accountability through shared KPIs and escalation protocols. In short, Stakeholder Strategy transforms legal tech from a departmental initiative into an enterprise-wide commitment.

The scope of Stakeholder Strategy includes:

◼️Ownership Mapping: Defining roles and responsibilities for legal, IT, procurement, and business teams.

◼️Governance Committees: Establishing cross-functional steering groups for oversight.

◼️Communication Framework: Designing transparent reporting and update mechanisms.

◼️Shared KPIs: Aligning success metrics across all stakeholders.

◼️Conflict Resolution: Creating structured escalation paths for disputes.

◼️Decision Protocols: Documenting approval workflows for major milestones.

◼️Change Management Integration: Coordinating stakeholder engagement during adoption.

◼️Continuous Alignment: Regular reviews to maintain strategic coherence.

The Stakeholder Strategy station is considered a Repeater resource within the GLS Legal Operations model.

A Repeater Resource: Supports the performance of multiple "critical" legal functions and as such represents a "ripple effect" productivity intervention point. 

The best practice features of the GLP are as follows:

◼️Joint Steering Committee: Legal and IT co-leadership for balanced decision-making.

◼️Clear Accountability: Documented responsibilities for every stakeholder.

◼️Shared Success Metrics: Unified KPIs to measure project outcomes.

◼️Regular Reviews: Scheduled governance meetings to track progress.

◼️Escalation Protocols: Pre-defined pathways for resolving conflicts quickly.

◼️Transparent Communication: Dashboards and reports for visibility across teams.

◼️Change Champions: Appointing advocates within each stakeholder group.

◼️Decision Framework: Formalised approval processes for scope changes.

◼️Training Alignment: Coordinated education for all impacted teams.

◼️Continuous Improvement: Post-project reviews feeding future strategies.

The Stakeholder Strategy delivers the following value to the Business:

◼️Risk Reduction: Eliminates gaps in ownership that lead to compliance failures.

◼️Cost Control: Prevents duplication and inefficiencies across departments.

◼️Faster Delivery: Accelerates decision-making through alignment.

◼️Strategic Coherence: Ensures technology investments support enterprise objectives.

◼️Credibility: Demonstrates governance maturity to regulators and investors.

For legal teams, Stakeholder Strategy delivers:

◼️Control: Oversight of governance and decision-making processes.

◼️Efficiency: Reduced delays caused by misaligned priorities.

◼️Defensibility: Documented collaboration for audit readiness.

◼️Collaboration: Stronger partnerships with IT, procurement, and business units.

◼️Future-Proofing: Governance structures that adapt to evolving tech landscapes.

The Stakeholder Strategy is essential for:

◼️Legal Departments: Driving governance and compliance in tech projects.

◼️IT Teams: Managing technical delivery aligned with legal requirements.

◼️Procurement Officers: Ensuring sourcing decisions reflect functional needs.

◼️Compliance Officers: Overseeing regulatory adherence during rollouts.

◼️Executives: Seeking confidence in transformation investments.

A legal team operating without a Stakeholder Strategy will face a wide range of inefficiencies including:

◼️Ownership Gaps: Critical tasks fall through the cracks.

◼️Decision Paralysis: Delays caused by unclear authority.

◼️Scope Creep: Uncontrolled changes inflate costs and timelines.

◼️Compliance Risks: Regulatory obligations overlooked.

◼️Reputational Harm: Failed projects erode confidence in legal leadership.

Stakeholder Strategy is not a technology station per se, but it heavily influences the success of tech platforms. Its tech profile includes:

◼️Collaboration Tools: Platforms for governance meetings and document sharing.

◼️Project Management Software: Dashboards for tracking milestones and responsibilities.

◼️Communication Systems: Channels for transparent updates and reporting.

◼️Analytics Dashboards: Monitoring KPIs and stakeholder engagement metrics.

1. What is stakeholder strategy in legal tech?

It’s a structured approach to aligning all relevant parties around shared ownership of technology outcomes.

2. Why do tech projects fail without alignment?

Because fragmented ownership leads to delays, compliance gaps, and scope creep.

3. How do you define ownership in legal tech projects?

Through documented roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority.

4. What is a governance committee?

A cross-functional group overseeing project delivery and compliance.

5. How do shared KPIs drive success?

By aligning performance metrics across all stakeholders.

6. What role does procurement play in stakeholder strategy?

Ensuring sourcing decisions reflect functional and compliance needs.

7. How do you resolve stakeholder conflicts?

Through pre-defined escalation protocols and governance frameworks.

8. Why is communication critical in tech rollouts?

Because transparency prevents misunderstandings and accelerates decisions.

9. Can stakeholder strategy reduce costs?

Yes – by eliminating duplication and preventing scope creep.

10. How does alignment accelerate delivery?

By streamlining approvals and reducing decision paralysis.