Coheso’s Ned Gannon Joins LegalGeek Panel on Navigating Legal Tech Tool Fatigue

Coheso CEO Ned Gannon joined the panel Tool Fatigue: Avoiding Poor Tech Investment Decisions at the 2025 LegalGeek conference in London, a global gathering for legal leaders and innovators. 

The session was moderated by Jon Bartman of The Law Tech Consultancy, and featured perspectives from across the legal ecosystem, including Efftichia Dower of Simmons & Simmons, Emily Lew of Draftwise, and Elliot White of Addleshaw Goddard. 

With new AI and workflow solutions entering the market at remarkable speed, both law firms and in-house teams are facing pressure to distinguish meaningful innovation from short-lived hype.

LegalGeek is known for experimenting with conference design, and this year was no exception: attendees wore headphones to tune into specific stages, allowing several discussions to run simultaneously without competing for attention. The effect literally cut through the noise, serving as a perfect segue into the panel. 

Cutting Through the Noise

Ned noted that when he began his first legal tech company more than a decade ago, the challenge was convincing lawyers that AI could be useful. Today’s crowded landscape brings new challenges. The question is no longer whether to adopt technology, but how to choose thoughtfully. 

Not only are in-house teams overwhelmed with solutions but sometimes the C-suite is telling departments across the organization that they have to adopt AI which can lead to solutions in search of a problem.

The panel emphasized that real value starts not with features, but with the business problem you are trying to solve.

Some signals for identifying tools with staying power:

• Fit with existing workflows (for both legal and business stakeholders)

• Clear data visibility and measurable outcomes

• Evidence of sustained engagement

In other words, look for solutions that support how work already happens, while offering a path to improve it.

Healthy Tech Exploration

The panel acknowledged that exploration and experimentation is important, but is most impactful when structured. Putting practical guardrails around innovation initiatives helps teams reach decisions through iterative discovery. 

This balanced approach allows teams to evaluate emerging capabilities without overwhelming their bandwidth or introducing change fatigue. Limited pilots, fast feedback cycles, and defined outcome measures help ensure experimentation remains productive rather than diffuse.

Accelerating Adoption Responsibly

A recurring theme was the 12–18 month timeline often associated with legal technology rollouts. Delays in implementation often stem less from the tools themselves and more from organizational realities: competing priorities, alignment across IT and business stakeholders, and unclear ownership.

To accelerate adoption without cutting corners, the panel emphasized:

• Start with one workflow

• Integrate into existing communication channels (email, Slack, Teams)

• Identify and empower champions closest to the workflow pain points

Champions are most persuasive when they experience personal, not just organizational, benefit from the change.

Measuring Real Impact

Finally, the discussion turned to success metrics. Usage alone is insufficient.
Legal teams and vendors should collaborate on outcomes that matter to the business, such as:

• Faster response times

• Reduced time on repetitive work

• Ability to scale without additional headcount

• Clearer visibility into workload and risk patterns

Data paired with qualitative insights creates a feedback loop that strengthens adoption and confidence over time.

Takeaways

Legal departments are being asked to evolve rapidly while maintaining rigor and trust. Technology can play a meaningful role, but only when adopted with intention, guided by real needs, and supported by thoughtful implementation.

LegalGeek’s environment of deliberate focus matched the theme. In a crowded moment for legal innovation, clarity is increasingly the differentiator.