We’re thrilled to welcome Alexis Hayman as our new Director of Customer Success at Billables AI and as the author of today’s guest post. Alexis joins us following a standout career in legal tech—most recently serving as Business Development Regional Director at Consilio, where she partnered with law firms and corporate legal teams to deliver strategic eDiscovery, data management, and investigation workflows with empathy and insight. Prior to that, she developed the customer success practice at Everlaw, contributing to its mission of modernizing cloud-native eDiscovery and litigation support through client success and education initiatives. Alexis brings a rare blend of legal training, tech fluency, and customer-centric strategy to her work, making her perspective especially valuable in navigating today’s landscape of operational excellence.
With a career spanning law, technology, and client advocacy, Alexis brings a unique perspective on what it takes to run a high-performing legal practice today. In her first piece, she explores how operational excellence—powered by systems, strategy, and smart technology—can help firms thrive in an increasingly complex legal landscape.
A well-run law firm hums with more than just legal talent—it thrives on operational excellence. Behind every high-performing practice is a framework of intentional systems that support focus, discipline, and adaptability.
The modern legal environment presents firms with a staggering volume of data—from case files and discovery materials to internal operations and client communications. What was once limited to isolated repositories has now become a vast, interconnected digital landscape. Without strong operational infrastructure, even the most capable attorneys risk being pulled away from the core work of advocacy and judgment.
Legal practice is, at its heart, a discipline built on ethics, strategic thinking, and mastery. But mastery today extends beyond legal reasoning; it includes fluency with the tools that enable efficiency, precision, and resilience. Increasingly, these tools are digital—and intelligent.
Artificial intelligence holds promise not as a gimmick or one-size-fits-all solution, but as a quiet force multiplier. Applied thoughtfully, AI can manage repetitive and mechanical tasks like timekeeping, workflow routing, and pattern recognition—functions that machines handle well and consistently. This frees attorneys to focus on what only they can do: think deeply, strategize effectively, and connect with clients meaningfully.
The operational payoff is real. A 2025 study by K Advisory found that top-performing firms—those with up to 40% higher profits per partner—lean heavily on automation, process optimization, and data-informed decision-making. Even small gains in efficiency translated into substantial revenue lift.
The cost of inefficiency is just as striking. According to Thomson Reuters, firms grappling with operational drag report lower client responsiveness, diminished work quality, and higher rates of burnout. Time lost to administrative complexity isn’t just inconvenient—it compounds, degrading both attorney satisfaction and client outcomes.
Well-integrated technology restores momentum. It creates space for rest and recalibration. And it enables firms to refocus on the high-value, human-centered aspects of legal work.
True operational excellence isn’t about rigid efficiency—it’s about purposeful agility. Systems that reduce friction, protect energy, and make room for strategic thinking are what allow real excellence to take root.
