Hi and welcome to the first Orange Rag of 2026, where we pick up on some of the most important themes of the month, including the shift of power from private practice to the in-house sector, plus the strategic considerations that many law firms are battling with around how to avoid private equity investment or M&A, but still invest in technology.
The shift of power conversation comes up because it features in our top story of the month – HSBC selects Harvey as its legal AI platform. This was our top story judged by how many impressions it received on LinkedIn. I know there’s more to life than social media, but I take a look at why so many people are interested in this win.
The strategic considerations around investment are highlighted in this month’s legal tech clinic, where Paul Longhurst, founder and director of 3Kites Consulting, dives into the fascinating question: “In a market where private equity acquisitions and mergers are resulting in consolidation across the sector, what are the options for firms like ours which want to retain their independence but need to invest in ever more expensive technology just to keep up with the competition?” While this is a question particularly being asked by law firms of around 50 to 250 seats, Paul dissects the options and considerations from years of experience of advising law firms of all sizes.
January marks the start of Orange Rag Insights: each month we feature exclusive interviews and content that you won’t find elsewhere. This month we speak with Nicolas d’Adhemar about his outside counsel guideline startup Antidote and take a look at why OCG is such a hot space right now.
And in a bid to keep things simple but help you stay on top of product news, in this issue we have the first monthly product launch table, complete with vendor, product type, why you should care, and a link to find out more if you wish to. The Orange Rag, more than ever, is your go-to resource to keep abreast of fast paced change.
Make sure you listen to our newly-launched Inside View Podcast – the link is in the Orange Rag – which features interviews with legal tech decision makers. We release new episodes of the Inside View on Spotify and YouTube each month, so be sure to follow and subscribe. Most recently I spoke with Pinsent Masons Vario‘s head of client development for flexible legal services, James Lewindon, about how in-house teams need to evolve in order to manage – and benefit from – younger, tech-savvy members of the team.
It’s going to be an awesome year, and we’ve got lots of exciting news coming up. We do what we do thanks to your support: please help us out by signing up to receive the Orange Rag HERE, and forward it to your friends and colleagues.
The post The January Orange Rag Is Here! appeared first on Legal IT Insider.