Sara Molina: “There is a need of talking about specific cases and human impact”

By Pablo Yannone Sancho, Journalist at GLTH

You can learn a lot about Sara Molina's career from her following statement: “You can buy the technology, you can map the process, but you can't map the people”. 

When she discovered the potential of technology applied to legal practice, she found out that it could enhance efficiency, quality and creativity.  

She disagrees with the vision of those who think that AI will reduce the learning from young ages. In facg, she argues that the use of AI and tools like GPT opens up new ways to solve complex problems and improve decision-making processes. After all, technology helps us with the data, but our role is to think: “what can we do with this information?”

Erasing barriers around technology

Sara considers that, if there is still reluctance about applying technology, it is because there is a tendency to talk about it in a “high level way”. “There is a need of talking about specific cases and also human impact”, she follows. “We must have more flow and we have to think where is the value of the lawyers or where is my value, because not all of the lawyers have the same capabilities.”

This point of view involves not stopping thinking about new things that have to be learned. It's very common for lawyers to keep learning about laws… But, what about soft skills?

“We have to learn to connect with each other, to learn from other professionals,” Sara says. “We have to discover our strengths. They're not always the same, depending on learning what my abilities are in a deep way.”

The underestimation of skills such as empathy or ethics is a huge mistake since these aspects make the difference and take part in very relevant issues within companies and one of their main sources of power and change: rethinking everything. To this purpose, says Sara, “you have to think like a user, like a client, like people that are going to be in our system”. “You have to put the user in the center. And for this, you have to change your mind.”

Some Sara's notes about legal tech solutions

“Contract lifecycle management systems are at the center of legal tech solutions,” she begins. “Contracts are the backbone of the business, but lawyers have the responsibility to oversee the entire cycle. Managing contracts effectively is crucial, and CLM systems make this much easier.”

In addition to CLM, there is, of course, Artificial Intelligence: “AI is being used to generate new documents or improve processes,” Sara notes. She points out that generative AI, in particular, is becoming an essential tool for tasks like document creation, helping to save time while maintaining high standards of quality. “You can have a lot of use cases for generative AI, especially in contract management,” she adds, emphasizing the versatility of these technologies.

Another tool Sara recommends is a system to manage workflows more efficiently. She mentions a solution like ServiceNow, which helps organize how legal requests enter and flow through the department. “It's important to have tools that manage how business requests come into the legal department and how they are tracked,” Sara explains. She also stresses the importance of implementing KPIs that can demonstrate the value these technologies bring to the business. “These solutions are not just about having the right tools, they must also prove their value through KPIs that show real business impact.”

A little bit about Sara's background

A mantra that has guided her throughout her journey is simple yet profound: “This goes on”. 

“There are good days when you're on top of the world, and there are bad days. But this all passes,” she explains. 

Sara also feels a deep responsibility to make a lasting impact. “We won’t be here forever, so we have to help each other and make a difference.”

Sara has a love for TV series that reflect both intellectual stimulation and a chance to unwind. “If I had to choose a series to watch on repeat, I'd pick Mr. Robot,” she says, drawn to its hacker protagonist and the way it explores technological possibilities. "It makes you think about opportunities." But she also enjoys lighter content, like Emily in Paris, which she  finished last summer. “It's perfect for disconnecting from the unimportant things,” she shares.

When asked what advice she would give her younger self, Sara's answer is clear: “Believe in yourself.” She encourages others, especially those venturing into nontraditional fields, to have confidence in their choices, as she went through when she decided to invest her time in technology.  “Follow your dreams, work hard, and don’t worry about what others think”.

- Sara Molina

Partner - Legaltech, Innovation, and Legal Function Transformation, Pérez-Llorca

#legaltech #people #behindlegaltech