Tips for LawTech businesses looking to engage with law firms
Insights from our first LawTech thought leadership meeting.
02 May 2023 • 3 minute read

This month we hosted our first LawTech thought leadership meeting, as part of our ongoing commitment to closing the gap between legal innovation and traditional legal practices.
We were joined by some of our Eagle Labs LawTech partners, who shared insights on the best practices for LawTech businesses and vendors looking to engage with law firms. The discussion was split between three main areas:
- Planning and preparation
- Engaging the law firm
- What to do after engaging.
The meeting produced some fantastic wisdom and gave a unique perspective on the expectations of law firms – and we’re happy to share this with you.
How to prepare before approaching a firm
Our partner firms stressed the importance of planning engagement with each law firm on an individual basis.
As a vendor, knowing your target audience is vital – but this needs to go deeper than general market knowledge. Research the specific firm you're targeting and prepare for each conversation. Come equipped with as much of an understanding as possible about their circumstances, needs and potential pain points.
However, it's important not to be presumptuous. Attempting to predict the challenges faced by a firm is likely to give a poor first impression. Instead, having the knowledge available can allow you a more informed response to any issues raised in the conversation.
You should also be ready to showcase the very best of your product, at speed. Practice presenting quickly and efficiently, as lawyers are often working against the clock.
Similarly, preparing answers for all potential questions can be a big advantage – for example, having responses ready for information security questionnaires.
Engaging with a firm effectively
Once you've planned your approach, it's time to reach out to firms.
How you handle this can affect your chances of success. The partners agreed that contacting lawyers directly isn't advisable. Instead, respect the firm's processes and go through its official channels.
Another point of emphasis was the importance of small details. Ensure you spell the recipient’s name correctly. Use the appropriate tone and language in your communications. Remember, lawyers spend much of their careers focused on fine details, and this can be the difference between a good or bad first impression.
When reaching out to a firm, precision is key. Succinctly showcase your business to the best of your abilities, without being too sales focused. Be patient and don’t send multiple or unnecessary emails, as this can harm the relationship you're trying to build.
The partners also agreed that it's critical for vendors to be upfront about their requirements and experience. For example, firms need to know whether or not you're familiar with their preferred service provider or the existing technology they use. Often, being unfamiliar isn't a dealbreaker, but firms prefer to know this from the beginning.
In short – be concise, focus on the small details and don't overdo It.
What to do after engaging with a firm
Even if your pitch went well, what happens afterwards can make or break the result.
Much of our partners' advice here can be summed up in one word – patience.
It's vital to let the firm digest what you've presented. Pressing them for feedback or answers won't speed up the decision-making process. It will only add to their workload and potentially undo the progress you've made.
Engaging with a law firm is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't be put off by what might feel like a lack of engagement after your discussion. A delayed response doesn't necessarily mean the firm isn't Interested – there are many other reasons why a firm could be taking their time to respond.
Finally, make sure you're open, honest and transparent at all times. Among our partners, this was widely seen as the minimum standard when it comes to engagement with vendors.
Liam Angus
Eagle Labs LawTech Manager
Liam spent 6 years studying the law to diploma level and has just short of 10 years’ experience in banking, across a variety of roles including Relationship Management of high net worth individuals and business development within Wealth and Investments. Liam has a broad understanding of the challenges that exist for growing and scaling businesses and legal professionals alike. He is dedicated to using his experience and knowledge to drive change within the legal sector and to create opportunities for the LawTech community to make a positive impact on the development of legal process across the legal sector and beyond.
Balraj Singh
Eagle Labs LawTech Manager
Bal has a huge passion for engaging with LawTech community and supporting growth by providing opportunities for our LawTech community to showcase innovation on all scales. Before being a LawTech Lab Manager, Bal has operated within Barclays Business banking, supporting business in all industries and managing relationships within a local communities in London. His current role includes managing members within the Eagle Lab LawTech community and understating what’s working well, and most importantly what’s not working and using our huge Eagle Lab ecosystem trying to rectify these issues and scaling up our committee at the same time.
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