In today's episode, we're joined by Pieter van der Hoeven. Pieter is the co-founder and CEO of Clocktimizer, which was one of the first legal tech products that applied machine learning techniques in an effort to pull actionable data from individual lawyer time records. An M&A lawyer by training, Pieter co-founded Clocktimizer out of frustration with a manual process of reviewing time records to report to clients and a belief that there had to be a better way. Over the years, Clocktimizer grew into a multimillion-dollar business with customers all over the globe. In April 2021, it was acquired by Litera, a legal tech company that helps legal organizations streamline operations, improve firmwide profitability, and build and scale pricing and legal management teams. Among other things, Litera itself has been on a bit of an acquisition binge in the legal tech space. Today Pieter is with Litera, where he continues to build on the successes of Clocktimizer and continues to work on the cutting edge of legal tech and its application to the profession.

Our conversation covered Pieter’s individual journey and how Clocktimizer arose out of an aha! moment when he realized that the rich data and timecards could be leveraged with automation. We also talked about his thoughts around the evolution of legal tech and its impact on profitability.