From Cost Center To Command Center: How Legal Ops Leads With Resilience

Legal Ops professionals are ensuring that resilience is an embedded part of daily operations.
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Legal Operations has always been the backbone of business resilience, establishing the governance structures and workflows that keep organizations running smoothly, no matter the challenges.

As disruptions — from cybersecurity risks to economic uncertainty — become more frequent and complex, Legal Ops teams are well-positioned to lead the development of sustainable, resilient frameworks that support long-term continuity and growth.​

From Cost Center to Strategic Partner Through Collaboration

Legal departments have profoundly shifted from being perceived as cost centers to becoming strategic business partners that drive operational efficiency.

According to Thomson Reuters’ 2024 State of the Corporate Law Department report, this transition requires a focus on technology adoption, risk management, and internal efficiencies that align legal efforts with broader business priorities​. Legal Ops professionals are leading this transformation, ensuring resilience is not a reactive response to crises but an embedded part of daily operations.

One key element in this evolution is breaking down silos both within and between departments. In many organizations, fragmented planning leads to disconnected resilience strategies, limiting the ability to respond effectively to disruptions. Legal Ops, however, operates at the intersection of people, processes, and technology, making it uniquely suited to align business units. By coordinating with IT, finance, procurement, and external partners, Legal Ops creates a unified approach to resilience.

At UpLevel Ops, we’ve seen the value of cross-functional steering committees, where Legal Ops plays a central role in aligning departmental efforts around shared objectives. Legal Ops professionals also act as translators, transforming complex legal and regulatory frameworks into clear, actionable steps that other business units can quickly implement. This collaborative leadership ensures that resilience strategies are not simply theoretical plans but practical, coordinated efforts that drive business continuity and growth.

Research shows that legal teams driving this transformation can create measurable value — beyond cost control — by focusing on efficiency metrics, such as faster contract turnarounds, improved compliance monitoring, and reduced reliance on outside counsel​​.

This shift from a cost-based model to a value-driven approach ensures that Legal is viewed not as a passive support function but as a critical enabler of business strategy and driver of efficiency. 

Managing Third-Party and Outside Counsel Risks for Operational Continuity

As businesses increasingly rely on vendors and external partners, third-party risk management has emerged as a critical component of resilience. Disruptions within a vendor’s operations can create ripple effects, impacting business continuity. Legal Ops professionals are uniquely equipped to manage these risks, ensuring vendors adhere to compliance standards, meet disruption tolerance thresholds, and align with strategic business goals.

Outside Counsel (OC) management is having a moment. Once viewed as a back-office function, it’s gaining attention as a strategic priority for Legal Ops. Managing external law firms is no longer about cost control — it’s about ensuring performance, efficiency, and seamless service delivery that aligns with broader departmental and business goals.

Legal Ops plays a critical role in actively overseeing these relationships in today’s landscape. Without proper management, outside counsel engagements can quickly spiral, leading to unexpected budget overruns, operational delays, and inconsistent legal support just when it’s needed most. The growing complexity of legal work and increased reliance on external firms make proactive OC management essential for maintaining financial control and operational continuity.

At UpLevel Ops, we’ve found that a well-designed outside counsel management program can make all the difference. This includes defining alternative fee arrangements (AFAs) to control costs, conducting regular billing audits to avoid surprises, and establishing backup relationships to ensure service continuity if primary firms are unavailable. Beyond financial controls, Legal Ops can also improve the collaboration between in-house teams and law firms, fostering stronger relationships and aligning external support with business priorities. 

Rather than taking a reactive approach, Legal Ops leaders proactively engage vendors and outside counsel in joint planning sessions. These meetings are essential to align expectations and simulate potential disruptions — such as unexpected litigation or compliance crises. By identifying risks early and building collaborative playbooks, Legal Ops ensures vendors and law firms are ready to deliver when needed.

This strategic approach to vendor and outside counsel management mitigates risks and builds resilience. By aligning external partners with the company’s operational and financial goals, Legal Ops ensures that the organization can maintain continuity, even in the face of unforeseen disruptions.

Building Resilience Through Technology and AI

Technology lies at the heart of modern resilience frameworks. Legal Ops is uniquely positioned to drive the adoption of generative AI (GAI) and other emerging technologies, thanks to its role at the intersection of people, processes, and technology. Several of our clients’ Legal teams already use AI-powered tools — such as automated FAQs, e-billing platforms, and contract lifecycle management systems — to streamline operations and free up resources for more strategic tasks​.

GAI offers immense potential to further enhance resilience. By automating routine processes, AI tools allow legal professionals to focus on high-value work, such as managing complex litigation or regulatory compliance. Real-time AI insights also help teams anticipate and mitigate risks before they become disruptive. For example, automated systems can monitor regulatory changes or security alerts, providing early warnings that enable proactive action.

Thomson Reuters reports that departments integrating AI tools reduce their reliance on outside counsel, lower legal spend, and improve internal efficiency​. Legal Ops leaders are critical to successfully adopting and integrating these technologies, ensuring that AI initiatives align with business goals and deliver measurable value. This focus on technology-driven resilience makes Legal Ops a powerful force that enables organizations to adapt and thrive in uncertain times.

Resilience Is a Continuous Journey

Legal operations has always been a key driver of business continuity, creating systems and frameworks that allow organizations to operate efficiently, even in challenging conditions. As risks grow more complex, Legal Ops is uniquely positioned to lead the development of sustainable resilience strategies that align with business priorities. By focusing on collaboration, technology integration, and proactive vendor management, Legal Ops ensures resilience becomes a core part of daily operations — not just a response to disruptions.

Resilience isn’t about surviving disruptions — it’s about embracing change and using it as an opportunity to build better systems. The legal departments that succeed will continuously refine their processes, align with business goals, and leverage technology to stay ahead of evolving risks. Remember that resilience isn’t a destination — it’s an ongoing journey that requires a commitment to operational excellence.