Introduction
General Counsel hold a strategic role today more than ever in business organizations; besides being legal partners they bring insights and a unique perspective about the bigger picture. Because of the importance of their role and their seniority there is a misconception about how much they actually control especially when it comes to governance related data. They are absolutely at the core of governance leadership but that does not mean they own nor should they try to own every part of information governance. Their real power comes from influence not from trying to personally manage every document every repository and every workflow across the enterprise.
This reality shows up clearly in how organizations operate today. General Counsel do not own cybersecurity and IT architecture. However, they do influence how these functions align with risk priorities. Their input is part of governance leadership.
General counsel act as data guardians, not baby-sitters
Most General Counsels do not have time to chase every draft contract floating in someone’s desktop folder, or clean up every board document that has been emailed twelve times with twelve different versions. These examples show how governance leadership, today, is not about micro managing information, but about shaping it, defining its usage, and leading by example.
To put it simply, the shift we have seen across departments is:
As a result, data remains secure, private, visible only to authorized users, and usable by those who need it. Rather than acting as data babysitters, micromanaging every change or update, general counsels can operate as data guardians. This shift is central to effective governance leadership in 2026, focused on setting standards and using information intelligently.
So the question now is, what does data management looks like in practice for General Counsel?
Ways for general counsel to shape data with legal tech
When the general counsel models good governance, makes clear expectations, and add tools to do the tedious work, something happens: governance flows.
Pushing for data-based decisions
The more informed, the better the decision making process goes for all. General counsels are in a great position to lead data based decisions, as they have access to key information and if it is properly structured, as with dashboards that highlight relevant numbers, such information is easy to find.
For example, a general counsel is constantly asked whether the company is exposed on vendor contracts. Instead of guessing, they pull a dashboard showing how many contracts are missing key clauses, how many renewals are approaching, and which categories carry the most risk. Suddenly, decisions are grounded in evidence instead of long email chains and memory.
Where legal tech helps: A contract management tool centralizes contracts with clean metadata, making it possible to generate real metrics. The GC can instantly see contract status, obligations, timelines, and risk indicators, turning this data into insights that lead to better decision and preparedness.
Maintaining information clean and structured
As the famous saying goes, you must practice what you preach. In this case, legal cannot promote governance excellence if it works with non-standardized naming, duplicative documents that create confusion, or treats outdated documentation as valid. Credibility comes from applying within legal teams the same rules that the function expects the company to follow. Keeping information tidy and accurate can be challenging as organizations evolve, but it is far from impossible.
Let us take a classic example. The general secretary stores draft board minutes in a folder, but a change occurs in that role. When an audit arises, it becomes impossible to identify the final and approved version among the documents left behind. As a result, the audit is delayed, auditors begin to lose trust in the organization, and the company faces potential regulatory penalties.
Where legal tech helps: With a board management solution, all board documents are maintained in a single controlled environment with built in versioning and role based access controls. There is one single source of truth, and legal can effectively apply the governance principles it promotes.
Making the right use of technology to guide teams
Technology alone is not sufficient to deliver sustainable change. Beyond having a digitally ready team, or addressing training gaps, general counsels must act as ambassadors for transformation. They may not be the sole decision makers when implementing a new solution, but they can demonstrate outcomes enabled by automation and justify investments through measurable results, such as improved auditability and data accuracy. To achieve this, general counsels can define which workflows to implement, determine which governance processes can be fully or partially automated, and set clear rules for information retention.
Governance then acts as the accelerator it is.
Where legal tech helps: Opting for solutions that function as integrated platforms, rather than fragmented tools that require manual connectivity, is a significant advantage. This approach establishes centralization and allows information to flow smoothly across systems, from entity data to board management tools or contract management solutions. The key is to clearly define what should be automated and how systems are connected.
The modern governance leader leads from data and information
The general counsel role has evolved from legal advisor to enterprise risk leader. Today, general counsels need visibility across the organization. They require systems that keep information structured, reliable, and defensible. This allows them to focus on decisions, not data clean up.
The strongest general counsels in 2026 will be those who build governance cultures. These are supported by technology that automates what once relied on memory, habits, and last minute heroics.
DiliTrust enables this shift across board management, contracts, entities, and more. It provides a single structured platform that delivers clarity, control, and consistency.
Because governance leadership is not about managing documents, it is about setting the standard. It focuses on letting the right platform operationalize it at scale.
