We won’t let you abandon your New Year’s resolutions… the real work begins now. Most companies use the start of a new year as an excuse to revisit their policies and procedures, and the legal team is no exception (not least because they are usually one of the departments driving the practice). To help legal lead by example, we've drummed up this checklist of contract management "resolutions" to help you get your legal house in order:
Everyone's least favorite but most critical activity: the annual audit. An effective contract management strategy starts with visibility, and there's no better way to achieve visibility than to actually take stock of your contract inventory. If you don't have a clear understanding of which contracts exist, where they are stored, and what obligations they contain, everything else becomes more difficult (or even pointless).
Begin the year by auditing your existing agreements with an eye toward the information that matters most:
A contract audit does not necessarily require manually reviewing every document in your legal repository. Modern contract management tools can surface critical data points quickly and accurately. The goal is to create a reliable source of truth that gives your team confidence in what is signed, what's still being negotiated, what's up for renewal and -- above all -- what needs legal attention.
Yes, even lawyers must do math, and legal teams should be subject to (and benefit from) real KPIs. After all, you can't manage what you don't measure.
Common contract management goals include:
Clear, measurable goals provide direction throughout the year and make it easier to demonstrate progress to leadership (usually through nice, shiny PowerPoint charts). They also help legal teams focus on initiatives that deliver meaningful impact, rather than incremental (or ephemeral) change.
We’ve outlined 23 key KPIs your legal team can use to your advantage. Get the Guide.
We're not just saying it because we sell CLM software; we're saying it because it's true: Contract lifecycle management solutions can replace the chaos of random spreadsheets, disorganized shared drives, and rage-inducing email-based processes. CLM suites offer structured workflows, actionable insights, and lower blood pressure (anecdotally; this is not medical guarantee).
With the right platform in place, legal teams can:
By reducing manual effort and increasing visibility, technology allows teams to spend less time managing documents and more time supporting strategic initiatives.
Contracts are a shared responsibility. (No, really.) Legal teams should work closely with sales, procurement, finance, and operations, to avoid the breakdowns in communication that often lead to delayed revenue and/or increased risk.
One of the most valuable resolutions legal teams can make is to improve collaboration across departments. This starts with clear intake processes (Slack messages don't count), consistent templates (copying stuff from ChatGPT is a bad idea), and shared visibility into contract status (besides getting emailed constantly for updates). When stakeholders know where a contract stands and what is required next, deals move forward with fewer surprises (and fewer threats of physical violence, especially at the close of a quarter).
Stronger collaboration also reinforces compliance by ensuring that approved language and processes are used consistently, regardless of who initiates the contract.
Missed deadlines can have real consequences, from unfavorable renewals to lost negotiating leverage to broadened compliance exposure. Staying ahead of key dates should be a core contract management resolution.
Establish a system that tracks renewals, expirations, notice periods, and milestone obligations in one place. Automated reminders and dashboards help legal teams plan ahead and engage the business at the right time.
When deadlines are managed proactively, contracts become tools for informed decision-making rather than last-minute emergencies.
Every contract introduces some level of risk, but not all risk requires the same response. An effective resolution for the new year is to identify which risks matter most and ensure they are actively managed.
This includes understanding where nonstandard clauses appear -- a task that AI can actually help with -- which agreements carry higher financial or regulatory exposure, and where ongoing obligations require monitoring. With better visibility into contract data, legal teams can spot trends, enforce preferred terms, and assess risk across the entire portfolio.
Risk management becomes far more effective when it is built into everyday contract processes rather than handled as a one-off exercise.
Even the best processes and technology fall short without proper enablement. You can't hold legal or non-legal team members accountable for processes they've never seen, tools they've never used, or rules no one has told them. Investing in training helps ensure that legal teams and their business partners know how to use contract tools and follow established best practices -- and can't plead ignorance when they don't meet the standard.
Training may include onboarding new team members, educating stakeholders on intake requirements (again, Slack messages don't count), or reinforcing guidance around contract playbooks and approved language. Ongoing enablement supports consistency, reduces errors, and builds confidence (and accountability) across the organization.
Teams that invest in training are better positioned to adapt as contract volume grows, business needs evolve, and the end-of-year crunch makes everything a little bit crazier.
The beginning of the year is an ideal time to strengthen your contract management foundation. By auditing contracts, setting measurable goals, and leveraging modern legal technology, legal teams can create lasting improvements that benefit the entire business -- and preserve your personal sanity.
Don't just hope you can meet your 2026 legal resolutions. Let LinkSquares help your organization turn contract management goals into tangible results.
If improving contract management is your priority this year, contact LinkSquares today.