Partner Selection & Build vs. Buy
From Vendor Selection to Implementation: Managing the Transition
By Anthony Villanueva ·
The period between vendor selection and the start of implementation is where many legal AI programs lose momentum. Managing this transition deliberately — with clear governance, defined milestones, and engaged stakeholders — prevents the energy of selection from dissipating before the program produces results.
The vendor selection decision is often celebrated as the culmination of a significant organizational effort. It is actually the beginning of the harder work.
The transition from vendor selection to working implementation is where momentum most frequently stalls — contracts take longer to negotiate than anticipated, IT teams are not prepared to begin integration work, practice group champions are consumed by client matters and cannot sustain their engagement with the AI program, and the initial enthusiasm of the selection decision gives way to the grinding reality of implementation.
Defining governance structures for transition
Managing the transition requires a defined governance structure that does not depend on the same people being available the next day.
The moment the selection decision is made, three things should happen immediately: the project manager for the implementation is identified and given explicit authority and resource commitment (not "we'll figure that out"), the first milestone of the implementation — typically a kickoff meeting with the vendor and the implementation team — is scheduled for a specific date within 30 days, and the IT integration work (DMS access provisioning, API credential setup, network configuration) is initiated without waiting for contract finalization.
Managing implementation planning parallel to contracts
The contract negotiation should not block implementation preparation. Most legal AI vendors are willing to begin implementation planning in parallel with contract finalization — they want the deployment to proceed as much as the firm does. The implementation planning work that can proceed without a signed contract (use case design, data preparation planning, training program design, governance documentation) should begin immediately.
Engaging champions with efficient commitments
Practice group champion engagement is the most important and most fragile element of the transition. The champion who was excited about the AI program during the selection process has a full caseload and competing priorities. A specific, bounded commitment — one hour per week for the first 12 weeks of implementation — is more likely to be sustained than an open-ended request for involvement.
The implementation team should design the champion's involvement to be high-value and efficient: their time should be spent on decisions that require their legal expertise and practice group leadership, not on administrative tasks that an engineer or project manager can handle.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three steps that should happen immediately after a vendor selection decision?
Managing the transition requires a defined governance structure that does not depend on the same people being available the next day.
The moment the selection decision is made, three things should happen immediately: the project manager for the implementation is identified and given explicit authority and resource commitment (not "we'll figure that out"), the first milestone of the implementation — typically a kickoff meeting with the vendor and the implementation team — is scheduled for a specific date within 30 days, and the IT integration work (DMS access provisioning, API credential setup, network configuration) is initiated without waiting for contract finalization.
What implementation planning work can proceed before a contract is finalized?
The contract negotiation should not block implementation preparation. Most legal AI vendors are willing to begin implementation planning in parallel with contract finalization — they want the deployment to proceed as much as the firm does. The implementation planning work that can proceed without a signed contract (use case design, data preparation planning, training program design, governance documentation) should begin immediately.
What is the recommended weekly time commitment for practice group champions during implementation?
Practice group champion engagement is the most important and most fragile element of the transition. The champion who was excited about the AI program during the selection process has a full caseload and competing priorities. A specific, bounded commitment — one hour per week for the first 12 weeks of implementation — is more likely to be sustained than an open-ended request for involvement.
The implementation team should design the champion's involvement to be high-value and efficient: their time should be spent on decisions that require their legal expertise and practice group leadership, not on administrative tasks that an engineer or project manager can handle.