Transforming Contract Management: Interview with Summize CEO Tom Dunlop

Background and Inspiration behind Summize

Tom Dunlop, the CEO and Founder of Summize, brings a rich background as a commercial and technology lawyer. His extensive experience in contract review highlighted inefficiencies that sparked the creation of Summize. Previously a Global Legal Director for fast-growing tech companies, Tom saw firsthand the challenges legal teams faced in managing contracts efficiently.

Summize’s Evolution and Key Milestones

Founded in 2018, Summize initially started as a generic summarization tool. The pivotal shift came when the company focused exclusively on the legal sector, particularly in-house counsel teams. They developed a holistic contract lifecycle management (CLM) platform that integrates seamlessly with popular tools like Microsoft Word, Teams, Slack, Outlook, and Gmail. Key milestones include being the first to market with Word add-ins, AI functionalities, and chatbots for Teams and Slack that interact directly with legal contracts. Expansion into the US market further accelerated the company’s growth.

Unique Approach to Contract Lifecycle Management

Summize differentiates itself by embedding its AI-driven solutions directly into tools lawyers and business teams already use, rather than offering an all-in-one CLM platform. This embedded experience promotes faster adoption and better workflow integration. The platform’s AI and natural language processing capabilities streamline contract review, reduce manual effort, and drive cost efficiencies.

AI Adoption in Legal Functions

Technology and software companies lead AI adoption among in-house legal teams due to high deal volumes and the need for speed. While general counsel teams sometimes slow adoption due to approval processes, commercial teams focused on deals are quick to implement AI to boost productivity. AI is increasingly adopted across various legal functions.

AI’s Impact Beyond Contract Analysis

Contracts serve as the core record for business transactions, containing critical details from obligations to termination clauses. Summize uses AI to extract and make this data usable, enabling workflow automation and system integrations across businesses. Looking forward, AI could revolutionize legal service models by shifting billing from time-based to knowledge-based fees.

Addressing AI Adoption Challenges

Despite 89% of in-house legal professionals using AI, concerns about privacy, security, and lack of training remain. Legal teams must understand AI workings, implement strong security protocols, and develop clear policies. Training on AI’s impact on legal roles is essential to unlock broader and more effective use cases.

Future of Legal Teams with AI

AI tools like Summize will automate high-volume, low-value tasks, freeing legal teams to focus on strategic work. General Counsels will be able to scale their expertise across teams and the wider business, confident that routine tasks meet high standards.

Regulatory Considerations for AI in Legal Tech

Regulatory frameworks will likely evolve to focus on data quality and relevance in AI language models. Models may be required to use verified content to ensure accuracy and reliability in legal applications.

Importance of Integrations

Integrating AI with widely used platforms such as Microsoft Word, Teams, and Slack is critical for user adoption. Embedding AI into existing workflows ensures accessibility, ease of use, and encourages widespread adoption among legal professionals.

What’s Next for Summize

Summize recently launched its next-generation AI-powered CLM featuring intelligent agents that accelerate contract reviews and unlock insights. Their chatbot’s capabilities have expanded to interact with diverse data sets, with more powerful features planned to continue enhancing contract management.

For more information, visit Summize.