Sharpen the Axe: Why Legal Tech Success Starts Before the Demo

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

– Abraham Lincoln

There’s a reason this quote opens Chapter One of Beyond the Features. It perfectly captures one of the most overlooked truths in legal technology: preparation is everything.

Too often, firms dive headfirst into the selection process. Demos are booked. Feature lists are circulated. Vendors start pitching. But all of this happens before there’s a clear understanding of what the firm actually needs.

It’s like charging at a tree with a blunt axe.

Don’t Skip the Setup

Before you evaluate a single tool, ask yourself:

• Have we clarified what success looks like?

• Do we fully understand our current workflows and where the pain points are?

• Have the right stakeholders been engaged in the conversation?

If the answer to any of these is “not yet,” then it’s time to pause and sharpen the axe.

Preparation Makes Everything Smoother

When you invest time upfront—mapping out business challenges, aligning internal teams, and defining your requirements—you don’t just improve your chances of selecting the right tool. You set your whole project up for smoother implementation, stronger adoption, and measurable impact.

You also make it a lot easier to sort signal from noise. Vendor demos become more focused. Feature comparisons become more meaningful. And you’re far less likely to be distracted by shiny functionality that looks great in theory but doesn’t serve your firm in practice.

Strategy Beats Speed

The temptation to move fast is understandable. But legal tech projects aren’t won by speed. They’re won by clarity, alignment, and thoughtful execution. Every hour spent preparing is an hour that saves you time, cost, and rework down the line.

So, before you pick up the axe, take the time to sharpen it.

You’ll thank yourself later.