Why Legal Tech Looks Better Than It Works

A practical guide for legal teams evaluating technology

 1.  The Impressive Demo

The demo is flawless. The interface is clean. The search finds the right clause in seconds. The workflow you've been struggling with for years suddenly looks effortless. Your team nods. Someone says, "This is exactly what we need." You schedule the follow-up call.

Three weeks after go-live, the experience is different. The search doesn't quite work the way it did. The workflow requires steps that weren't mentioned. Two of your associates have quietly gone back to their old process. You're wondering whether the tool was misrepresented — or whether your team is doing something wrong.

Neither is entirely true. What happened was simpler and more avoidable: you fell into the demo trap. 

2.  Why Demos Feel So Convincing

Vendors are not trying to deceive you. But demos are not neutral either. They are carefully prepared environments designed to show a tool at its best — and that preparation creates a gap between what you see and what you get.