The legal department operates silently in many organizations. It reviews contracts, ensures compliance, and supports leadership in making informed decisions. These functions are essential, but they often rely on expensive outside law firms. That dependency can drive up costs and slow down operations.
New York corporate attorney Steven Okoye decided to take a different approach. With a background in transactional law, healthcare regulation, and corporate governance, he developed an internal system that brought more legal work in-house. The result was a 75 percent reduction in outside legal spending and a more efficient, accountable process for managing contracts and compliance.
The Problem: Rising Costs and Limited Oversight
The group used outside firms extensively before the change to review contracts, conduct research, and ensure compliance with the rules. The process did work, but it cost a lot. It was also tough to see. Every department had a copy of an important paper, and different teams often used different versions of the same paper. It was hard to track progress or identify risks because of this.
Okoye saw an opportunity to improve. If the right systems and procedures were in place, they could complete many of these legal tasks internally. He also recognized that centralizing information could help leadership stay informed without relying on outside reports. The goal became to build an internal legal framework that reduced costs, improved oversight, and allowed faster access to accurate information.
The Solution: Centralized Tools and Structured Procedures
Okoye began by implementing software that allowed the legal department to collaborate. The company stored all contracts, policies, and compliance documents in a single, searchable database. This system enabled tracking documents, flagging important dates, and monitoring workflow across the company.
The centralized platform helped the legal team stay on top of contract renewals and regulatory obligations. It also enabled other departments to see where things stood without waiting for formal reports. With better communication and shared access to information, work became faster and more transparent.
To make the system more effective, Okoye introduced internal guides outlining clear procedures for contract review and compliance management. These playbooks explained how to handle each step of a process, from drafting agreements to recording approvals. They also provided templates and checklists that helped teams maintain consistency and avoid mistakes.
He then shifted more legal research and administrative work in-house. The team began handling compliance reviews and standard contract matters internally, while specialized or high-risk issues were still directed to external counsel. This created a balance between cost savings and quality control.
The Results: Lower Costs and Better Efficiency
The results were clear within months. Outside legal spending fell by about 75 percent. Internal teams could now complete work that previously required multiple layers of review in a fraction of the time. Communication between departments improved because everyone was using the same tools and following the same procedures.
The new approach also strengthened compliance. Centralized recordkeeping made it easier to document every decision, which improved accuracy and reduced the chance of oversight.
Managers could quickly locate contracts, verify terms, and check that procedures matched company policy. This improved visibility made audits smoother and reduced the likelihood of errors.
The benefits went beyond the legal department. Other divisions gained faster access to information, which helped them plan projects, negotiate agreements, and manage budgets with more confidence. The entire organization became more coordinated and efficient.
Building a Culture of Accountability
Okoye’s project was about more than cost-cutting. It was about creating a culture where legal responsibility was shared rather than siloed. The internal playbooks helped employees understand what compliance meant in daily work. When teams had questions about contracts or regulations, they could consult a consistent set of instructions before escalating issues.
This approach encouraged staff to think about risk management in a proactive way. Instead of reacting to problems after they appear, teams could identify potential issues early and address them quickly. The result was fewer surprises, fewer delays, and a stronger sense of trust between departments.
Key Lessons
The changes led by Steven Okoye offer practical lessons for organizations looking to modernize their legal operations.
- Centralize legal information so that everyone works from the same data.
- Write clear procedures to keep contract and compliance work consistent.
- Use technology to simplify communication and track deadlines.
- Empower teams to take ownership of compliance rather than depend entirely on external review.
- Combine structure with flexibility so legal processes support both efficiency and quality.
These lessons show that improving a legal department does not always require more staff or more spending. Often, it requires better organization and a willingness to rethink traditional workflows.
About Steven Okoye
Steven Okoye is a corporate and healthcare attorney based in New York. He focuses on healthcare compliance, contract negotiation, and risk management in regulated industries.
He earned his Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School in Camden, New Jersey, holds a Bachelor of Science from Temple University in Philadelphia, and is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.
