Template: The One-Page Legal Tech Business Case Your CFO Will Approve

Why legal business cases get rejected

Finance teams see a lot of requests. Legal's often lose because they:

• Lead with features ("AI-powered clause extraction!") instead of outcomes
• Claim "efficiency" without a number
• Ignore total cost (implementation, admin time, usage overages)
• Don't say what happens if the request is denied

The good news: 2026 gives you better ammunition than ever. The FTI and Relativity General Counsel Report found that legal departments with a formalized technology roadmap more than doubled, to 53%, and about 70% plan to invest in new technology in the next 12 months. You're not asking for something exotic. You're asking to keep pace.

The template

Copy this into a single page. If it doesn't fit, cut words, not sections.

1. The ask (one sentence)

We request $[amount] in [year] for [tool / category] to [outcome].

Example: We request $85,000 in 2027 for an AI-enabled intake and contract review platform to cut NDA and vendor contract cycle time by 50% and avoid one additional legal hire.

2. The problem, in numbers

• Volume: [e.g., 1,400 contracts/year]
• Average cycle time: [e.g., 6 business days]
• Legal hours spent: [e.g., 2,100 hours/year]
• Outside counsel spend on this work: [e.g., $220,000/year]
• Business impact: [e.g., deals delayed at quarter end]

3. The solution (three bullets max)

• What it does
• Where it fits (which workflow, which systems)
• Who uses it

4. The math

Costs (Year 1 / Year 2 / Year 3)

• License or subscription: $[ ] / $[ ] / $[ ]
• Implementation: $[ ] / — / —
• Internal time (admin, training): $[ ] / $[ ] / $[ ]
• Usage buffer (for consumption pricing): $[ ] / $[ ] / $[ ]

Benefits (Year 1 / Year 2 / Year 3)

• Outside counsel spend avoided: $[ ] / $[ ] / $[ ]
• Hiring avoided (loaded cost): $[ ] / $[ ] / $[ ]
• Hours returned × loaded hourly cost: $[ ] / $[ ] / $[ ]

Net benefit: $[ ] / $[ ] / $[ ]

Payback period: [X] months

Tip: Be conservative. Use half the vendor's claimed savings. CFOs trust a modest number they can believe over a huge one they can't.

5. Risk reduced

List one to three risks in plain terms: missed renewal deadlines, unsigned or lost contracts, shadow AI use with confidential data, regulatory deadlines (for example, EU AI Act obligations), or lack of audit trail.

6. What happens if we say no

Be honest and specific: "We will need to add one contracts counsel ($[loaded cost]) or accept continued cycle-time delays of [X] days on revenue contracts."

7. How we'll measure success

Three metrics, a baseline, a target, and a review date.

• Metric 1: [name] · Baseline: [ ] · 12-month target: [ ]
• Metric 2: [name] · Baseline: [ ] · 12-month target: [ ]
• Metric 3: [name] · Baseline: [ ] · 12-month target: [ ]

Where to get the numbers

• Volume and cycle time: your intake or matter management system (or two weeks of manual tracking if you don't have one yet)
• Outside counsel spend: your e-billing platform or AP reports
• Loaded hourly cost: ask finance for fully loaded compensation for each role; they'll appreciate that you asked
• Vendor costs: get a written quote including implementation, and ask explicitly about usage-based charges

Presentation tips

• Pre-wire it. Walk your finance partner through the draft before the formal review.
• Speak their language. "Payback," "avoided cost," and "capacity" land better than "productivity" and "innovation."
• Show the scale-down option. Offer a smaller phase one if the full ask is too big.

The bottom line

A great legal tech tool with a weak business case loses to a mediocre one with strong math. Use this template, keep it to one page, and be conservative. When you need options and pricing to plug in, browse the CorporateLegal.tech directory and build your shortlist before the budget deadline.