Ashlynn Mafuva worked at Michalsons until 31 July 2024. She is a tech lawyer with a passion for simplifying the practicalities of the law through process improvement and leveraging software solutions. She understands that sometimes the key to success lies in improving existing processes rather than reinventing the wheel. Her skillsets lie at the intersection of law and technology, where she combines her legal skills with legal project management, software implementation, and change management.
Building strong client relationships lies at the heart of Ashlynn’s approach. She excels in fostering strong collaborations and delving into clients’ needs and challenges, enabling her to discover the best business solutions that align with their requirements.
Read her insights
Ashlynn’s Education
University of the Western Cape: Bachelor of Laws (LLB), 2012
International Institute of Legal Project Management: Legal Project Practitioner (LPP) certification, 2023
- Legal Software Implementation
- Contract Management
- Legal Project Management
- Commercial Law
- Process Management
Ashlynn loves the outdoors, and spending time with her family whilst on a hike is a perfect day out for her. She also enjoys playing volleyball and has represented both the provincial and South African teams on a junior and senior level.
Legal Software Implementation
- Privacy and Data Governance, Contract Management and Customer Relationship Management
- Help clients to find and implement tech solutions for their legal needs
- Optimise usage of software where the client finds it difficult to navigate the tech already in place within their organisation
- Setting up the client required customisations and integration of the tool into the client’s business.
Technology Assessment
- Evaluating legal tech solutions through conducting assessments of software solutions, analyzing their viability for client specific needs. Through demos and pilot projects, ensuring that the chosen technology aligns with the clients’ goals.
Contract Management
- Providing clients with support to improve contract management processes
- Exploring CMS and CLM software solutions to evaluate platforms designed to streamline contract creation, management, distribution, and contract lifecycle processes
Process Improvement
- Collaborating closely with clients to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in legal and business processes.
- Mapping out streamlined workflows and introducing appropriate legal technology (where applicable) to enhance the overall efficiency of an organization’s operations.
Change Management
- Stakeholder Engagement: Identifying key stakeholders and building relationships to gain buy-in and support for the changes.
- Communication Strategy: Developing and executing communication plans to keep stakeholders informed about the changes, benefits, and progress.
- Training Programs: Designing comprehensive training programs that cater to various user levels, ensuring smooth adoption and minimizing resistance.
- Managing Resistance: Anticipating and addressing resistance to change through active listening, addressing concerns, and highlighting the positive impact of the technology and the improved processes
- Measuring Success: Defining key performance indicators to measure the success of the software implementation
General
- Brief and assist DevOps teams to develop a customized tool to monitor licenses and regulations for an international satellite communications
- Work in collaboration with software engineers, providing legal input to develop legal translation tool
- Legal Department’s lead in championing the use of the translation tool, and providing the service offering to clients
- Managing internal legal translation projects for international clients who operate in different industries
Contract Management Projects:
- Lead various projects for contract management software compliance with data regulations
- Drafting commercial contract templates, and managing the contracts life cycle from pre-signature, to post-signature and the contract management phase
- Perform regular audits on all existing contracts, and updating contracts with the relevant regulatory changes.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software
- Implemented CRM software for a prominent Australian telecoms organisation
- Part of the migration team to transfer and manage customer contracts onto a new software tool
- Monitored CRM implementation progress, offering insightful updates to enhance efficiencies