Modernizing Federal Government Legal Tech
The Cloud, Cost, and the Case for Change
A critical moment has arrived for federal government legal departments. They're grappling with ever-growing data, strained budgets, and cases where the stakes couldn't be higher. This intense pressure is fast revealing the cracks in their old legal tech. It's becoming undeniably clear: if agencies want to hit their deadlines and keep sensitive information secure, they absolutely must upgrade.
"The biggest bottleneck isn't technology—it's internal inertia," asserts Alan Lawrence, Everlaw's General Manager of Public Sector Sales. He points out that while agencies recognize the need to modernize, some cling to the hope that they can simply "ride this out." But, he cautions, "The reality is, they don't have that luxury anymore."
The tools exist to do this right now. The question is whether agencies will lead this change or get left behind.
Similarly, Sam Seligman, a Principal Customer Success Manager at Everlaw who works directly with federal teams, highlights a common misconception: "There's danger in viewing this as an all-or-nothing transformation. You don't need to figure it out all at once—the key is breaking modernization into manageable steps and just getting started."
The Breaking Point: Why Older Systems Can't Keep Up
For years, many agencies relied on legacy tools and on-premises solutions for tasks like ediscovery and litigation support. However, these traditional approaches are increasingly out of sync with today's legal demands. They often inflate costs, create frustrating inefficiencies, and simply can't scale to handle today's explosive data growth.
Lawrence gets right to the heart of the problem: "When you use legacy tools, you're automatically paying more to have someone else host software you could run yourself. Worse, you lose the direct relationship with a technology partner that could actually solve your problems." Seligman adds a vivid example of the tangible impact: "Simple actions like document navigation highlight the inefficiency gap. Legacy systems can take 1-2 seconds per document—Everlaw operates at blink speed. When you're reviewing millions of documents, that difference translates to weeks of saved time while reducing workforce burnout."
The Cloud's Promise: Unleashing New Levels of Efficiency
A powerful recent case from a large federal law enforcement agency perfectly illustrates how shifting to the cloud can revolutionize outcomes. Their former system took weeks to process crucial discovery materials—a delay that was simply unacceptable in their fast-paced environment. By moving to Everlaw’s cloud-native platform, they dramatically slashed that processing time down to mere hours.
"By applying elastic compute power during ingestion, we cut processing time from weeks to hours," Lawrence confirms. This real-world success story highlights several game-changing benefits that modern cloud platforms deliver:
Decentralized Workflows: Empowering individual offices to manage their cases independently.
AI-Assisted Review: Surfacing critical evidence in minutes, not months.
Continuous Innovation: With over 200 feature updates annually, constantly improving based on user feedback.
Addressing the Human Side of Transition
Even with such compelling advantages, embracing modernization isn't always a smooth journey. It's tough to get past deeply ingrained habits and our natural inclination to resist anything new. Joshua Harvey, Director of Customer Success for Everlaw Public Sector, deeply understands this challenge. "No one likes change," Harvey states, acknowledging the considerable time and effort federal employees invest in mastering their current, even if outdated, systems. "The pain point is having to go through everything that you have to go through to make that change."
Beyond operational benefits, modernization gives legal professionals something equally valuable—renewed control over their work.
Yet, he strongly believes the long-term benefits easily outweigh any initial discomfort. "Sometimes you have to take the carrot or the stick approach," Harvey advises. "It's like, look, if you make this change, these are all the ways it's going to help you. It's going to make things easier for you. You're going to be able to do these things that normally take you weeks, you can do in hours. We've seen that; we've proven that; your own users have told us that." He reinforces this point with a clear impact: "If I can save this amount of time, I can be so much more productive."
Practical Steps Forward
For agencies still weighing the shift to modern legal tech, Lawrence offers straightforward, actionable advice for starting the transition:
Begin Small: "Run pilot projects comparing legacy systems against modern tools for specific pain points like data ingestion."
Tap into Peer Networks: "Form working groups with other agencies—we’re seeing tremendous value in these collaborations."
Seek Quick Wins: "Even basic functions like document review show immediate efficiency gains that build momentum."
Ultimately, federal legal departments face a clear choice. Lawrence emphasizes the urgency: "The tools exist to do this right now. The question is whether agencies will lead this change or get left behind." Seligman concludes with an empowering vision of what modernization truly offers: "Beyond operational benefits, modernization gives legal professionals something equally valuable—renewed control over their work. When we see attorneys discover how quickly they can surface key evidence or collaborate across teams, there’s genuine excitement about what becomes possible."
Modernizing with Everlaw
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