What it takes to make legal innovation stick
Ahead of Lexpo’s 10-year edition, we spoke with Jose Rodriguez Coching about the human factors behind real impact in legal innovation, why lawyers must help shape the technology they use, and what leaders need to prioritise as AI reshapes legal work.
You’ve helped turn KPMG Abogados into the most innovative firm in Continental Europe. What human factor mattered most in translating advanced technology into real impact?
Trust in our people and their capacity to grow.
We moved from a lawyer-centric model, where technology is designed for lawyers, to a lawyer-led one, where they actively participate in developing and adopting new tools, supported by dedicated legal tech teams. That trust built confidence and ownership. As a result, teams use technology to improve quality, consistency, and insight in their work, generating measurable value for both lawyers and clients.
You pioneered Empowered Innovation, where lawyers help build the tools they use. What mindset shift is essential for lawyers to become confident co-creators of AI rather than passive users?
The key shift is accepting that legal judgment now extends to how technology is shaped and applied.
Lawyers don’t need to become technologists, but they do need to engage with how systems influence legal reasoning, risk, and outcomes. When legal and technical expertise work together, lawyers gain the confidence to influence how tools are used in practice, rather than simply accepting them.
As AI automates more legal work, human skills become more critical. What should law firm and in-house leaders prioritise now to keep people engaged and innovation sustainable?
Leaders should focus on judgment, learning, and recognition.
This means investing in capability building across roles, creating safe spaces for experimentation between legal and technical teams, and recognising innovation as a core professional contribution. Engagement happens when people understand that their role is evolving, not shrinking. That is how organizations build the next generation of digitally confident legal leaders.