Brian McGovern

Legal operations are growing in importance for many Fortune 500 companies. But for an insurance and finance giant like American International Group Inc., (AIG), where the legal department is baked into the very fabric of client offerings, legal operations isn't just nice to have—it's a crucial facet of company health.

Brian McGovern thrives in such an environment. Most recently holding the title of AIG's senior vice president, chief data officer, legal operations, McGovern was responsible for modernizing and streamlining a department that registered more than $2.4 billion in annual legal spend and utilized more than 1,500 law firms in 90 countries. And it doesn't stop there—McGovern worked in executive-level positions with Merrill Lynch, General Electric and Credit Suisse.

So naturally, McGovern's next career step is … a legal technology company? Indeed. As the newly minted executive director of strategic programs for legal software company Mitratech, McGovern believes he has found a home to continue driving change. Legaltech News recently spoke with McGovern about his background with his new employer, the future of legal operations, and more.

Legaltech News: Simply put, what brought you away from the in-house world to Mitratech?

Brian McGovern: We accomplished quite a lot within AIG's legal operations during my tenure, and Mitratech's TeamConnect enterprise legal management platform was the foundation for our success. TeamConnect enabled us to transform AIG's legal operations department, and with the application of great technology and sound processes, we reduced legal spend by over $1.2 billion.

The AIG implementation of TeamConnect was the largest in the world—and it was delivered on time and on budget. It is because of this journey that I am excited about the opportunity to join forces with Mitratech. I am in the unique position to use my experience to drive value for Mitratech's current and future clients.

The title “executive director of strategic programs” isn't one I see too often. What do you see your day-to-day role being at the company?

My first responsibility is working with Mitratech clients to help them drive value and increase productivity using TeamConnect. This may include advising on implementations, rationalizing international processes, planning for upgrades, creating high-impact analytics and forming a vision for how to innovate within their legal departments. I am also working with the talented Mitratech product development teams to refine the product roadmap and execution to focus on delivering differentiating technology to our customers.

What skills that you developed while in-house do you believe will most help you in your new position?

I have had the great fortune of an interesting career with many years' experience delivering change through process implementation and improvement, and driving positive outcomes using analytics and technology in a variety of sectors. These areas included everything from insurance, investment banking, private banking, operations, data centers, procurement, human resources, broadcast TV and even batteries. My prior role taught me a tremendous amount about how to apply my skills in the legal operations space. There is tremendous opportunity to drive amazing value when you have the right combination of people, process and technology to support your goals. Mitratech's products allow companies to do just that.

The rise of in-house legal operations is something we've been seeing over the last several years. Looking generally, do you see widespread change happening within in-house departments with legal operations? And what needs to happen to spur even more change/adoption?

I believe it starts with changing the perception, or perhaps, even the definition of what makes a legal department world-class. I was proud to lead a large and successful legal operations group and it is great to see other legal departments delivering so much value for so many companies. While there has been widespread adoption and the development of people skills, processes and technology, there is still much more to be done.

New roles and responsibilities are increasingly required of legal teams. More and more they encompass risk and compliance areas within their groups, and legal teams are expected to be strategic drivers for the organization. This means they now have to look beyond traditional matter management and spend management focus. Legal departments are also being asked to innovate and look for ways to connect people and processes, allowing the organization to make better business decisions and improve results. In order to bring about more change within in-house legal departments, they need to break down the silos within their department and across the organization. This is where process improvement and the implementation of the right technology is of paramount importance.

From your experience, what are some common legal pain points that departments still struggle with, but technology can help overcome?

Cross-functional alignment and change management. One of the most commonly perceived pain points by legal teams is the implementation of new technology and new processes. However, what many teams don't realize is that the traditionally fragmented way they currently operate is really where the pain is coming from. As much as user adoption is a challenge for many companies, once they understand that technology like TeamConnect exists to streamline operations and integrate legal functions, they will embrace the technology available to benefit the organization as a whole.