Last week, we had the privilege of participating in Contract Management Day, the premier contract management summit in the Benelux region, hosted by Contractify.
This event brought together industry leaders, legal experts, and technology innovators to share best practices, challenge conventional thinking, and explore the future of Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM). As part of the conference, we were thrilled to showcase how we partnered with our client on their ground-breaking CLM implementation.
At the event, we were joined by our client, a global provider of Financial Market Infrastructure services, for a candid panel discussion about their multi-year CLM implementation and the role DWF played. Below is a snapshot of what we discussed, sharing the journey of a successful CLM implementation.
A vision for automation & efficiency
Implementing new technology is only half the battle, getting people to use it effectively is where te real magic happens. We worked closely with our client to tackle change management together:
Building bridges between teams: transitioning from “this is how we’ve always done it” to embracing new workflows requires careful planning. We worked with our client to identify department-specific pain points, create customised training programs, and develop clear communication channels.
- The ambassador effect: one of our most successful strategies is to empower power users across the organisation who cn become go-to experts within their teams and provide peer-to-peer support. They also gather valued feedback for continuous improvement.
- “Golden transactions”: we held hand-on sessions where we walked teams through their first live contracts in the new system. This learning-by-doing approach built confidence faster than any training manual could.
- Ongoing support: the launch is just the beginning. We established a dedicated helpdesk (with real humans answering questions!), an ever-growing library of training resources and regular check-ins to address emerging challenges.
DWF’s role in driving success
As our client’s implementation partner, we brought more than just the technical know-how, as we became true collaborators in their CLM journey. By leveraging our experience, knowledge and support, their transformation became a success. We can make the difference in several ways:
- We offer hands-on implementation support: We didn’t just advise, our team rolled up our sleeves to help map 260+ requirements to system capabilities, co-design workflows with Legal and Business teams, and troubleshoot any challenges in real time.
- The translator advantage: We served as the crucial translator between legal teams that were focused on risk and compliance, business units that needed practical solutions and IT teams that were managing technical constraints.
- Flexibility where it mattered: When unexpected challenges emerges (as they always do), we deployed additional specialists from our global team and adapted methodologies to our client’s evolving needs.
- Knowledge transfer for long-term success: Beyond implementation, we equipped our client’s team with comprehensive system documentation, train-the-trainer programmes, and best practices for ongoing template management.
Refelcting on their transformation journey, our client said;
“Having DWF’s team embedded with ours ensured we got both independent expertise and someone who truly understood our business. Their CLM experience saved us months of trial and error”.
Current key themes in legal operations
At the event, it became clear that several emerging trends in legal operations were top of mind for attendees, sparking discussions on topics that are shaping the legal operations landscape.
- AI & Automation: how generative AI is transforming clause negotiation and contract analysis
- User adoption challenges: why training and cultural change matter as much as technology
- Data-driven contracting: leveraging metadata for better risk management and reporting
- Interdepartmental alignment: legal, procurement, and sales must collaborate for CLM to succeed
As contracts evolve from static documents to dynamic assets, it is important to stay ahead of the latest industry trends and developments whilst learning from past experiences. Our client’s story reinforced that success lies in technology, people, and process working together and we’re excited to see how these lessons shape the future of CLM.
If you would like to discuss our CLM transformation services more, please get in touch with our Legal Operations & Technology Consulting team below:
