Watch the full episode here: <\/p>\n The Legal Tech Trap: Thinking It\u2019s About Legal<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the biggest mistakes in-house lawyers make is framing legal tech as something that solves legal problems. You might be thinking about faster contract review, fewer redlines, or better clause playbooks.<\/p>\n But as Aboud points out, nobody outside legal cares about those things. Sales is not losing sleep over how long your redlines take. Finance is not waiting on a better indemnity fallback. What they want is to close deals, collect revenue, and hit targets.<\/p>\n That is the mindset shift. Legal tech, when it works, improves how the business operates. If you want adoption, budget, and support, speak in terms the business already values: revenue, speed, and data.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t Automate Chaos<\/strong><\/p>\n Aboud cautions against rushing into software before fixing broken workflows. When he stepped into a portfolio of fast-growing companies, he didn\u2019t start with tools. He started by observing where manual work created drag.<\/p>\n His first \u201cautomation\u201d wasn\u2019t software at all. It was a locked Word document for NDAs with fillable fields, stored in a folder that the business could access directly. This eliminated hundreds of repetitive legal requests without adding cost or complexity.<\/p>\n The result? Legal stopped being a bottleneck. The business moved faster. Trust was built.<\/p>\n Speak Their Language<\/strong><\/p>\n When Aboud did move forward with a CLM, he didn\u2019t pitch it as legal tech. He presented it as a solution to business problems.<\/p>\n Sales wanted faster deal turnaround and fewer blockers. Account management needed accurate contract data for client reporting. Finance wanted contract terms that matched billing workflows.<\/p>\n Each conversation focused on the outcome each team cared about most. For sales, it was deal velocity. For account managers, it was data consistency. For finance, it was billing accuracy and cash collection. Legal was not the focus of the conversation. It was the facilitator.<\/p>\n Agree On The Win First<\/strong><\/p>\n Many legal tech projects stall because they try to solve every edge case from day one. Aboud recommends the opposite approach. Align early on one or two key wins. Tackle the 70 percent use case. Deliver it well. Let the rest wait.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t get bogged down in every \u201cwhat if.\u201d Move quickly on what matters most. Then, use the success of version one to build support for versions two and three.<\/p>\n This keeps stakeholders engaged and momentum strong. It also shows that legal can drive outcomes without overcomplicating the process.<\/p>\n Legal Tech Is A Partnership<\/strong><\/p>\n Aboud\u2019s most powerful message is that legal tech isn\u2019t a tool you buy. It\u2019s a partnership you build. And it starts with curiosity.<\/p>\n Ask your colleagues what they like about working with legal. Ask what frustrates them. Ask what slows them down in their own work. These conversations surface the problems worth solving. More importantly, they build trust.<\/p>\n The problem isn\u2019t the tools. It\u2019s the framing. If you are not seeing traction with legal tech, try changing the conversation. Talk about business outcomes. Translate features into wins. Show how automation drives revenue and saves time.<\/p>\n And above all, lead with empathy. When your stakeholders believe you understand their goals, they become champions instead of blockers.<\/p>\n Olga V. Mack<\/a>\u00a0is the CEO of\u00a0TermScout<\/a>, an AI-powered contract certification platform that accelerates revenue and eliminates friction by certifying contracts as fair, balanced, and market-ready. A serial CEO and legal tech executive, she previously led a company through a successful acquisition by LexisNexis. Olga is also a\u00a0Fellow at CodeX, The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics<\/a>, and the Generative AI Editor at law.MIT. She is a visionary executive reshaping how we law\u2014how legal systems are built, experienced, and trusted. Olga\u00a0teaches at Berkeley Law<\/a>, lectures widely, and advises companies of all sizes, as well as boards and institutions. An award-winning general counsel turned builder, she also leads early-stage ventures including\u00a0Virtual Gabby (Better Parenting Plan)<\/a>,\u00a0Product Law Hub<\/a>,\u00a0ESI Flow<\/a>, and\u00a0Notes to My (Legal) Self<\/a><\/em>, each rethinking the practice and business of law through technology, data, and human-centered design. She has authored\u00a0The Rise of Product Lawyers<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Legal Operations in the Age of AI and Data<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Blockchain Value<\/a><\/em>, and\u00a0Get on Board<\/a><\/em>, with\u00a0Visual IQ for Lawyers<\/em>\u00a0(ABA) forthcoming. Olga is a 6x TEDx speaker and has been recognized as a Silicon Valley Woman of Influence and an ABA Woman in Legal Tech. Her work reimagines people\u2019s relationship with law\u2014making it more accessible, inclusive, data-driven, and aligned with how the world actually works. She is also the host of the Notes to My (Legal) Self podcast (streaming on\u00a0Spotify<\/a>,\u00a0Apple Podcasts<\/a>, and\u00a0YouTube<\/a>), and her insights regularly appear in Forbes, Bloomberg Law, Newsweek, VentureBeat, ACC Docket, and Above the Law. She earned her B.A. and J.D. from UC Berkeley. Follow her on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0and X @olgavmack.<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The post You\u2019re Selling Legal Tech All Wrong: Chad Aboud\u2019s Playbook For Getting Buy-In<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever tried to implement legal tech in-house and felt like you were dragging your company uphill, through demos, budget asks, endless alignment meetings, and skeptical side-eyes, you\u2019re not alone. You\u2019re probably not doing it wrong, but you might be talking about it the wrong way.<\/p>\n In a recent episode of \u201cNotes to My (Legal) Self<\/a>,\u201d former general counsel and legal operations coach\u00a0Chad Aboud<\/a>\u00a0explains why legal tech adoption often stalls and what actually moves the needle. His advice is not about choosing the perfect CLM or mastering integrations. It\u2019s about shifting your mindset from solving legal problems to enabling the business.<\/p>\n Watch the full episode here: <\/p>\n
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