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46 Many firms are discovering that AI readiness is more of a data hygiene problem than a technology challenge. The push toward automation is forcing leaders to confront long-standing issues around data ownership, accuracy, and accessibility. In some ways, AI is accelerating the maturity of governance. To deploy new tools safely, firms must first ask a few foundational questions: • Where does our data come from? • How clean and consistent is it? • Who is responsible for keeping it accurate? Those are governance questions, not engineering ones. WHAT EVOLVING GOVERNANCE LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE Forward-thinking litigation teams are redefining governance beyond mere compliance. They see it as the backbone of operational efficiency and innovation, supporting how people actually work day to day. In practice, that shift comes down to a few core principles. Centralization: Create one reliable source of truth for case data. That does not always mean a single system, but it does mean a single governing framework in which all data connects logically. When teams operate from a shared foundation, duplicate tracking disappears, reporting becomes faster, and decision-making becomes more transparent. Centralization also reduces risk by ensuring updates and disclosures are managed consistently across cases. Standardization: Define consistent naming conventions, tags, and required data fields. The goal is not to add bureaucracy but to make information predictable and usable across matters. When data fields are structured the same way, whether for case type, jurisdiction, or stage, teams can run comparisons, automate updates, and surface insights that were previously buried. Standardization creates the conditions that enable automation to be trustworthy. Access Control: Map permissions to roles and confidentiality needs. Governance is not just about visibility, but about the proper visibility. Clear access rules protect sensitive data, reduce accidental disclosures, and reinforce ethical walls without slowing collaboration. Well-designed access controls also make it easier to work with outside counsel, clients, and vendors in a controlled yet connected environment. Accountability: Assign clear ownership for maintaining data quality. Someone (or a small committee) should be responsible for ensuring that data remains accurate and up to date. Governance does not succeed through software alone. It requires people who see themselves as stewards of the data. Defining accountability creates feedback loops, encourages consistency, and helps firms spot systemic issues before they become entrenched. Many firms are finding that purpose-built matter or case Clear access rules protect sensitive data, reduce accidental disclosures, and reinforce ethical walls without slowing collaboration.

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