The legal industry is undergoing one of the most significant technology shifts in its history, driven by the rapid acceleration of AI alongside rising client expectations and mounting operational pressures. As firms and corporate legal teams navigate increasingly complex ecosystems of tools, data, and processes, strategic partnerships have become a vital lever for meaningful innovation. The right alliances help organizations adopt new capabilities responsibly, without losing sight of governance, risk, or long‑term value.
“People are so excited about AI that individuals within businesses who have never been interested in technology are suddenly interested in technology,” says Mathew David Crocker, Chief Strategy Officer at Morae, a global leader in legal‑technology and legal‑operations solutions. The moment calls for clarity and discipline, which is where Crocker believes strategic partnerships play a defining role.
Strategic partnerships can generate real client value when firms build aligned, insight‑driven ecosystems rather than investing in isolated technology choices. Success, he argues, comes from mature collaboration, strong foundational systems, and partners capable of integrating data and innovation across the entire legal‑technology landscape.
Learning from Deep Partnerships
Crocker began his career implementing large-scale document and email management systems for global firms. That work led him to co-found Phoenix Business Solutions, which grew into the world’s largest iManage implementation partner before being acquired by Morae in 2019. It’s given him a firsthand look at how partnerships evolve over time and what truly drives their success.
“Partnerships are a two way street,” he says. “When we sign a partnership, the partner should walk away thinking they have a fantastic sales team and enablement motion behind them. But I also need to consider what we receive in return.” For Crocker, partnership maturity means understanding that alignment does not require uniformity. Each organization has its own priorities and commercial realities. “At the end of the day you are two separate P&Ls,” he says. “The reason that you partner is so that you can have some flavors of the other side, but not all.”
Three Actions to Build Partnerships That Deliver Value
Crocker recommends three practical steps for organizations building partnerships that truly move the needle:
1. Work with partners who understand the legal ecosystem. Corporate legal teams often rely on broader IT strategies that don’t always reflect their unique needs. Crocker advises working with partners who have already curated the landscape. “There’s a huge number of CLM vendors. We work with a dozen, but there are three strategic ones depending on the complexity of your contracts. We’ve done that hard work for clients,” he says.
2. Choose partners with vision, not just products. Law firms, in particular, need partners who contribute insight rather than simply providing a system. “How are they giving you insights into your data, your time and billing information, your documents?” Without that vision, firms risk assembling tools that provide function but not strategic impact.
3. Ensure systems work together and insights are integrated. Most organizations rely on three or four core systems. “You need someone to sit across all of your vendors and aggregate that information,” he says. Partners that cannot support this level of integration will limit long-term scalability.
Why Strategic Partnerships Matter More Than Ever
The legal ecosystem is notoriously complex. Law firms and corporate legal teams rely on a labyrinth of tools: time and billing, document management, email, workflow, case management, and increasingly, AI-driven systems. “The legal desktop is so complex, possibly overly complex,” he says. “It’s not just about choosing the right partners. It’s about choosing partners that work well together.”
Because every vendor ultimately acts in its own interest, clients need integrators and advisors who can help create a holistic ecosystem. Crocker often finds himself addressing issues where “supplier A and supplier B don’t work nicely together,” creating both challenges and opportunities. Strategic alignment becomes essential, particularly for teams attempting to modernize at scale. “We advise clients to ensure the foundational layer is correct. Otherwise the huge spend that you put into AI will still uncover the same problems you had 15 years ago,” he says.
AI Is Redefining the Partnership Landscape
AI has radically lowered barriers to entry, creating an influx of new vendors and innovation. “We can now get from a simple client conversation to a working proof of concept within seven days,” he says. Tools that once required months of development can now be prototyped in days, allowing smaller players to compete with long-established providers.
While horizontal AI platforms will play a major role, he expects specialized tools for tasks like drafting and redlining to thrive. Legal teams that chase broad platforms without clearly defined objectives risk repeating mistakes from earlier waves of technology investment. “Those firms that succeed will be the ones that solve specific use cases,” he explains.
Partnerships Built on Alignment and Incentivization
Many organizations continue to overlook the human element. “Get the incentivization right on both sides,” he says. Partnerships fail not only due to misaligned strategy, but because communication is concentrated among one or two individuals.
He advocates for multiple touchpoints across sales, marketing, delivery, and leadership to ensure continuity and alignment. “It sounds simple, but we see it time and time again,” Crocker explains. “If those things are aligned, you’re going to be in a far better position.”
Crocker continues to share insights on strategy, innovation, and transformation across the legal technology ecosystem. Readers can connect with Mathew David Crocker on LinkedIn or visit his website.