In the rapidly evolving sector of telematics, Geotab faces the complex challenge of managing a high volume of legal work with a lean legal team. The team, consisting of eight or nine attorneys and a few specialists, is responsible for a wide array of legal tasks, primarily handling a significant number of contracts due to Geotab's global presence and workforce of approximately 2,000 employees. 

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Implementing AI to Boost Efficiency

With a corporate culture that values data utilization and technological advancement, Geotab’s company leadership encouraged all departments to explore AI applications to enhance efficiency in their daily operations. This directive was especially pertinent to the legal team, which was faced with a high volume of work and the challenge of maintaining productivity. Recognizing the potential of AI to streamline their processes, the legal team began searching for a tool to improve their efficiency.

Upon discovering Ivo, the Geotab legal team was impressed with the product, particularly its native integration with Word and its ability to make their daily work more economical and efficient. With this positive initial exploration, they decided to have a member of their legal counsel, David Torchetti, test the product in his daily work. 

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Realizing the Benefits of Ivo: Efficiency, Simplicity, and Verification

Over the course of two months, the  legal team crafted and fine-tuned an NDA review playbook, rigorously testing it with actual documents. A key factor in the successful adoption of this process was the integration of Ivo directly into Microsoft Word through a plugin. This allowed the team to leverage the tool within a familiar workspace, minimizing disruption and eliminating the need for adapting to a new platform. Ivo’s unique capability to furnish detailed source information and rationales for its suggestions further accelerated the learning curve, instilling a greater level of trust and confidence in the system's recommendations.

The introduction of Ivo, paired with a well-structured NDA playbook, has helped transform the Geotab document review process:

  • Seamless Microsoft Word Integration: Ivo's plugin facilitated a smooth incorporation into daily operations, enabling the legal team to utilize a familiar interface.
  • Reduced Learning Curve: The direct integration into existing workflow, combined with Ivo's intuitive design, made it easier for theteam to adapt and adopt the tool with minimal training.
  • Enhanced Confidence: The provision of source information and clear explanations for recommendations bolstered the legal team's trust in the review process.

Noteworthy achievements since integrating Ivo include:

  • Dramatic Time Savings: The time required to review an NDA has been significantly reduced from an hour to approximately 15 minutes, with the actual review process taking just 5 to 10 minutes. This efficiency largely eliminates administrative tasks and streamlines the review and amendment stages.
  • Operational Efficiency: Within about five months of full playbook utilization, the team processed 40 to 50 NDAs, saving an estimated 45 minutes per document. This represents a substantial reduction in hours previously dedicated to manual reviews, equating to a 75% efficiency gain for NDA reviews alone.
  • Broader Implications: Beyond NDAs, this streamlined approach has positively impacted the review of other document types and non-playbook activities, suggesting wide-ranging benefits to our operational efficiency.
We saved an average of 45 minutes of review time per contract, which translated into a 75% overall efficiency gain.

Following the successful implementation for NDA processing, the team decided to expand Ivo’s application to other areas, such as vendor software terms and conditions and End User License Agreements (EULAs). The tool's Checklist review feature proved invaluable for assessing non-negotiable terms and identifying potential risks, thereby informing business stakeholders effectively.

Encouraged by the positive outcomes, the legal team plans to extend Ivo’s use to marketing agreements, including event contracts and advertising insertions. Collaborating with marketing specialists, they aim to develop specific checklists and clause libraries to further streamline these high-volume, low-value contract processes.

Lawyers often prefer sticking to their familiar tools, such as Microsoft Office, and that's precisely what I appreciate about Ivo—it integrates seamlessly. This simplicity is something I know other members of our legal team will value as well, given their preference for not having to navigate through multiple login points or adapt to new platforms.

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Advice for Future Ivo Users

For organizations considering Ivo, Torchetti advises coming into the platform with a clear understanding of the main items to look for in each contract type. He emphasizes the importance of getting buy-in from the entire legal team to ensure consistency in legal reviews. The introduction of playbook automation is also seen as a significant advancement, streamlining the setup process and enabling teams to quickly benefit from Ivo's capabilities.

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Looking Ahead: Continuous Improvement and Expansion

As Geotab continues to explore additional uses for Ivo, including expanding its application to other types of agreements, the team remains committed to leveraging AI to enhance their legal operations further. The success story of Ivo at Geotab serves as a testament to the potential of AI in optimizing legal review processes, offering a blend of efficiency, simplicity, and reliability that can significantly benefit legal teams across various industries.