The demo worked. During the pilot, a request disappears between the form and the matter system. Legal technology implementation has to cover that failed handoff as carefully as the successful one. Start with a defined workflow and require evidence that users can complete it, recover from an error and get help.
Check Items as You Prepare. Your Checks Stay on This Page.
Define the First Complete Workflow
Choose a bounded use case, such as opening a legal matter from an approved intake request. Identify the starting data, required review, destination record and evidence that the handoff worked. Name the legal owner, technical owner and administrator.
Write the current pain in observable terms. “Requests arrive without the correct entity” can become a testable requirement. “Make legal more innovative” cannot tell a project team whether the implementation is ready.
Test Permissions as Carefully as Features
Use representative test records and roles.
| Area | Evidence of Readiness |
|---|---|
| Workflow | A complete request reaches the correct record and owner |
| Access | Representative roles see only their authorized information |
| Failure | Errors create a visible recovery task |
| Data | Required fields remain accurate through the transfer |
| Operations | An owner can maintain and support the configuration |
Plan for the People Who Will Run It
Ask the future administrator to take part in testing. Give users short training built around the work they actually perform, then show them where to report a problem. Identify who can change a field, a routing rule or a permission after launch.
During the pilot, review failed transactions and requests for help. Record the fix and test it before expanding access. The person who approved the project should know what is still unresolved and who will handle it after the implementation team leaves.
Test AI Actions Before Giving Them More Autonomy
Gartner’s May 2026 analysis describes legal AI platforms that connect several legal tasks. Test the connections, including the action taken when an earlier step is incomplete. The State Bar of California’s 2026 guidance also addresses agentic AI and continued lawyer responsibility.
For an AI-assisted draft workflow, confirm who checks the output and who may release it. Test a rejected draft, a missing source and an unavailable reviewer. The pilot should demonstrate that the system stops or returns the question to the right person.