The digital pressures generated by the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the implementation of legal technology and legal operations around the world, shaking up the status quo of corporate legal departments. The effects of this event on major players in the West are well-documented, however, information about Japan remains limited. Aiming to generate intelligence about the current state of legal departments in Japan, Epiq surveyed legal department professionals at multinational and leading local companies in Japan to determine the latest developments and compare the results to North America.

The findings of this study are reviewed and analyzed in a three-part white paper series. The first focused on external legal expenses; the second on the implementation of legal technology (legal tech); and this third and final paper discusses the implementation of legal operations. The first two white papers were released earlier this year.

This final white paper analyzes the questions and responses from survey participants relating to legal operations in legal departments in Japan and how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced development. The analysis seeks answers to the following:

Are Japanese legal departments hiring legal operations specialists?
What are the major challenges to legal operations implementation in Japan?
Has the pandemic accelerated the focus on creating legal operations strategies?

To learn more about Japanese corporate legal departments, fill out the form to receive your complimentary copy of The State of Legal Departments in Japan – Part Three – Legal Operations.