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38 THE FOUNDATION FOR WHAT COMES NEXT Whether legal professionals sit inside a global law firm or a corporate legal department, the path to responsible AI and operational excellence begins with the same foundation: disciplined, defensible, and well- governed information. Transformation does not happen in a vacuum. It requires infrastructure, discipline, and trust. Law firms and legal departments that jump headfirst into AI adoption without first investing in Information Governance are likely to encounter inconsistent outputs, ethical exposure, regulatory violations, and reputational risk. The firms that will lead are not necessarily those with the most AI tools or the most significant technology budgets. They are the ones with the cleanest, most trusted data—and the operational discipline to keep it that way. They are the firms that understand governance as the connective tissue binding privacy compliance, AI responsibility, cybersecurity, and operational excellence into a coherent whole. In an era of accelerated technological change and regulatory expansion, governance is not what slows firms down. It is what allows them to move forward with confidence—meeting client expectations, satisfying regulatory requirements, and deploying AI systems that enhance rather than undermine the quality of legal services. For technology and operations leaders, the question is not whether to prioritize governance — it is how quickly you can close the gap between the policies you have and the practices you need. Because in the end, every modern law firm initiative – from AI implementation to privacy compliance to client trust – depends on getting information discipline right first. WENDY RIGGS, SBO Consulting's Founder and Principal, combines strategic vision with operational discipline. Her leadership philosophy is simple: execution defines success. At SBO, she leads teams that move projects forward with purpose and ensures that every client's engagement results in tangible improvement, not just good intentions. Her experience inside some of the world's most complex legal organizations gives her a rare perspective on how to balance governance, technology, and human behavior to achieve meaningful change.

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