The article is authored by a distinguished group of legal and industry leaders: Adam Rouse, Tamra Tyree Moore, Kassi Burns, Olga V. Mack, and Renee Meisel, CEO of UnitedLex. Together, they bring a wealth of experience and diverse perspectives to the evolving landscape of litigation.
In-house teams used to review, approve, and fund the work. That model is rapidly disappearing.
Today, many in-house teams are doing more than overseeing litigation—they are shaping it. The initial draft no longer originates on a partner’s desk. Instead, it is increasingly produced internally, faster, more strategically, and with significantly greater control. This transformation is not only altering who performs the work; it is redefining how litigation starts and how it will be carried out in the years to come.
This is not speculation. Early qualitative research from Stanford Law School’s CodeX Center for Legal Informatics points to a structural shift toward modular, data-informed, client-directed litigation systems, based on interviews with in-house leaders across industries. These developments are redefining the legal department as a strategic hub, rather than merely a reviewer of external input.
So what does the future look like when litigation starts from within?
Read the full article: First Draft, Final Say: Why In-House Litigation Begins Inside
