Legal Operations Transformation: How In-House Legal Teams Drive Innovation

How can in-house legal departments evolve from traditional support functions into strategic business partners? The answer lies in Legal Operations Transformation—a discipline that merges legal expertise with operational excellence. This blog post, based on the insights of Tom Stephenson, Director of Legal Operations at Credit Karma, explores how forward-thinking legal teams can optimize processes, enhance collaboration, and leverage data to deliver greater value across the organization.

Tom Stephenson, a respected leader in the legal operations field, brings a wealth of experience to the conversation. With a background that includes roles at Tele-doc Health and now Credit Karma, he exemplifies the modern legal operations professional—combining deep practical knowledge with a passion for innovation. His insights demonstrate how Legal Operations Transformation can elevate the legal function into a dynamic, strategy-focused asset for the business.

Watch the full conversation with  Tom Stephenson here:

Tom’s career journey began as a paralegal and evolved through multiple strategic roles in rapidly growing organizations. His time at Teledoc Health taught him how to navigate organizational change with agility, while his work at Credit Karma continues to shape his vision for scalable legal service delivery. He is also an active participant in the broader legal ops community, further enhancing his perspective on cross-industry trends.

His career highlights the critical importance of diverse experience in Legal Operations Transformation. It’s not just about legal knowledge—it’s about building business fluency, developing process acumen, and understanding how to foster collaboration across complex environments.

Tom defines Legal Operations as the application of business, data, and technical practices to legal service delivery. This means implementing strategic planning, financial discipline, and project management principles within legal teams. The goal is to shift legal from a reactive cost center to a proactive business partner.

He also notes that this transformation isn’t limited to in-house teams. Law firms are increasingly exploring Legal Operations strategies to streamline service delivery, improve profitability, and better align with client expectations.

The COVID-19 pandemic served as a major turning point in Legal Operations Transformation. According to Tom, remote work highlighted inefficiencies in traditional processes and created urgency around technology adoption. Legal operations teams played a critical role in implementing tools for digital collaboration, e-signatures, and matter tracking—helping organizations maintain legal continuity during uncertain times.

This period reinforced the need for legal departments to be adaptable, data-literate, and tech-savvy. It also showcased how legal ops leaders can be the driving force behind meaningful, lasting change.

Tom is a firm advocate of using data to guide decision-making. From dashboards to spend analysis tools, he emphasizes that legal teams must understand their performance metrics in order to improve them. By tracking KPIs like contract cycle time and matter volume, teams can identify bottlenecks and allocate resources more effectively.

Legal Operations Transformation thrives on transparency and measurement. This analytical mindset allows legal teams to demonstrate impact and make smarter investments in people, processes, and technology.

Another critical element of Tom’s approach is redefining how in-house legal teams work with outside counsel. He promotes a collaborative, relationship-driven model focused on alignment, communication, and mutual value. This approach transforms law firm partnerships from transactional engagements to strategic alliances.

Strong external partnerships help legal departments scale efficiently, access specialized expertise, and ultimately contribute more meaningfully to the business’s bottom line.

Legal Operations Transformation is the future of in-house legal. Tom Stephenson’s insights make it clear: success today requires more than legal skill—it demands innovation, data fluency, and cross-functional leadership. By embracing change and building a culture of continuous improvement, legal teams can move beyond compliance and become true enablers of business success.

Watch the full conversation here:  Notes to My (Legal) Self: Season 5, Episode 5 (ft. Tom Stephenson)

At Notes to My (Legal) Self®, we’re dedicated to helping in-house legal professionals develop the skills, insights, and strategies needed to thrive in today’s evolving legal landscape. From leadership development to legal operations optimization and emerging technology, we provide the tools to help you stay ahead.

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