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The Question Every In-House Legal Team Is Getting (Yes, That One)
As Director of Legal Operations at PDI Technologies, Inc., I oversee the full contract lifecycle for a global technology company serving the convenience retail and energy ecosystem. My team operates at the intersection of speed, scale, and risk, which means we’re expected to move fast and get it right.
As AI adoption accelerates across industries, a familiar question from leadership teams keeps coming up: “How are you using AI, and what value is it actually delivering?”
Simply saying, “Yeah, we use AI,” is no longer sufficient. Executives want proof of time saved, risk reduced, resources considered, and deals moving faster.
At PDI, one way we answer that question is by clearly showing how our Legal team uses AI-powered contract lifecycle management with LinkSquares as a practical way to drive measurable business outcomes.
How Automation Is Revolutionizing Legal Operations at PDI
Before AI: When Growth Outpaced the Process
PDI expanded both organically and through acquisitions. Each acquisition brought its own contracts, templates, workflows, and approval paths. Over time, contracts lived everywhere, including desk drawers. Processes varied by team, and sometimes visibility was limited. Contract management relied heavily on manual processes like:
- Status chasing
- Spreadsheet tracking
- Email-heavy approvals
- Manual data entry
- Reactive risk management
It worked…until it didn’t. As volume increased, so did inefficiencies and pressure on the team. Growth outpaced process.
After Automation: Fewer Headaches, Faster Contracts
Implementing LinkSquares didn’t just modernize our contract repository, it allowed us to rethink how Legal Operations function. AI now supports the entire contract lifecycle including:
Key contract data is automatically extracted and structured; eliminating manual entry, guesswork, and the need to stitch together information from multiple systems.
That automation improved the process at PDI and how contracting is staffed at PDI. What was once fragmented across almost 30 cross departmental employees scattered throughout the organization is now managed by one centralized Legal Operations team of just seven. Yes, seven.
With AI doing the heavy lifting, those seven Legal Operations team members processed tens of thousands of agreements globally in 2025, without slowing the business down or adding resources. In fact, our average global turnaround time improved to less than 1 business day for standard requests.
The result:
- Contracts move through automated workflows instead of email chains
- Accuracy improves significantly
- The team spends far less time managing documents, and far more time partnering with the business
How PDI Demonstrates Legal’s Value to Leadership with Data
From “Trust Us” to “Here’s the Data”
One of the biggest shifts for our team wasn’t simply operational; it was how we demonstrated the impact. Instead of explaining our value, we started showing it. Because AI continuously analyzes contract data, our dashboards update in real time.
Instead of saying, “We’re busy,” we can show exactly where volume has grown. Instead of asking for resources, we can justify them with data. Instead of debating narratives, we can point to trends.
Dashboards That Tell a Story
Dashboards became the bridge between Legal and leadership. The key wasn’t tracking everything; it was tracking what matters. The metrics that resonate most include:
- Speed from quote to close
- Volume handled by the team
- Bottlenecks in the process
- Scalability without additional headcount
- Visibility across business units and geographies
When legal data is presented visually and in business terms, it becomes much easier for leadership to understand, support, and invest in Legal.
Beyond Day-to-Day Contracting
AI-powered CLM has also transformed how we support M&A and growth initiatives. During due diligence, AI allows us to quickly surface key terms, obligations, renewal dates, and risks across thousands of agreements, including legacy contracts from acquisitions. What once took weeks of manual review now takes a fraction of the time.
Just as importantly, this model scales. As PDI grows, Legal can absorb increased volume without proportional increases in headcount. That’s real ROI.
A Simple Framework for Measuring AI ROI
For teams looking to prove value, the approach doesn’t have to be complicated:
- Establish baseline metrics before implementation
- Track time savings, volume, and process improvements over time
- Measure gains in visibility, consistency, and risk mitigation
- Use dashboards to present insights in an executive-friendly way
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress and transparency.
AI Value Only Counts If You Can Prove It
AI adoption alone doesn’t earn trust. Data does. At PDI, LinkSquares gives us the visibility and analytics needed to clearly demonstrate how Legal improves efficiency, reduces risk, and enables the business to scale. That clarity makes it easier to secure leadership buy-in and to lead smarter conversations about AI.
For Legal teams being asked how they’re using AI, the message is simple: Measure what matters. Show the impact. Tell the story.
