How DeepL Reframed Legal as a Strategic Partner with SpotDraft
Contract turnaround
Beyond legal
Driving boardroom decisions
DeepL, a global AI product and research company, empowers businesses and individuals to communicate across borders seamlessly. Since 2017, it has enabled over 100,000 companies to improve productivity, expand globally, and ensure secure, high-quality translations and writing support.
DeepL’s legal team saw CLM as more of an enterprise-wide tool, as opposed to merely a legal one. However, launching such a solution across the business meant it couldn’t feel like a top-down legal initiative. Success required deep cross-functional collaboration, thoughtful change management, and a partner that understood ambiguity.
“We didn’t want people to feel like this was being done to them. We wanted to build it with them.”
— André Barrow, Head of Legal Operations, DeepL
At the same time, the team needed a platform that could help legal speak the language of the business. Historically seen as a “call center,” legal wanted to reposition itself as a strategic contributor with data to back it up.
Launching CLM across the organization required a careful balance between leadership vision and departmental ownership. Legal needed to ensure that the initiative felt collaborative, not imposed, to encourage adoption across business units.
The legal team aimed to shift perception from being a support function to a revenue enabler—using contract data to demonstrate impact on efficiency and business outcomes.
Because CLM touches multiple workflows, DeepL needed a partner that could navigate ambiguity, iterate quickly, and support teams through change management.
“You know where you want to get to, but the how is often unclear. We needed a partner who could help us figure it out.”
From vendor evaluation to go-live, SpotDraft acted as a true partner. Customer support at SpotDraft anticipated roadblocks, refined workflows, and ensured smooth onboarding. Responsiveness was a standout, with the team always available to keep momentum going.
Beyond implementation, SpotDraft’s analytics and reporting helped Legal Ops build a compelling narrative with data — unlocking new strategic conversations internally.
“We wanted to move the conversation from legal as a cost center to legal as a generator of revenue — and having a CLM helped us do that.”
— André Barrow, Head of Legal Operations, DeepL
SpotDraft continues to power strategic decision-making across DeepL. With AI and legal tech gaining traction, André is optimistic about the shift underway.
More importantly, legal teams both in-house and in private practice are finally embracing the shift. What may have once felt like forced change is now being met with curiosity and momentum.
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