Haresh Bhungalia & Casepoint

The Big 6 in e-Discovery

by David Cowen

I interviewed Haresh Bhungalia, CEO of Casepoint, in Episode 14 of my series "Careers and the Business of Law." As head of a leading e-discovery solution, Casepoint, Haresh shares his journey and the company’s evolution.

Unlike most of his peers in the legal tech space who were educated in technology or law, Haresh earned an Economics degree from the University of Michigan. Haresh's unique blend of a “passion for building things” and consulting expertise drove him to this line of work: building organizations that deliver genuine client value and “solve the test of time.”

Raised in an entrepreneurial family, Haresh underscores that successful entrepreneurship requires conviction and risk-taking. He advises aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue ventures with a focused, reality-rooted approach that responds to market needs. “They [new entrepreneurs] have a great deal of passion, which is fantastic and that is necessary.” But, he quickly adds, “you also have to be rooted in reality; it’s our ability to be nimble, it’s our ability to be flexible, it’s our ability to listen to the market and pivot and ebb and flow… to get to the outcomes you’re looking for.”

“Start the journey. See where it takes you. Put in your all. Don’t have an option two because there is no option two - success is the only option. You have to bring a piece of expertise that the market is looking for [and to not try to] be everything to everyone.”

Haresh’s advice centers on identifying specific problems, emphasizing domain expertise, and executing ideas when market issues are solvable.

When it comes to Haresh’s company, Casepoint's own journey, as with many accelerated growth businesses, it involves significant pivoting, especially in the last few years due to the pandemic. While excelling in the legal sector and collaborating with major law firms, the company recognized challenges in global competition. Addressing this, Casepoint redirected resources toward direct discovery services for government and corporate sectors, while still serving law firms. What sets Casepoint apart from the top five competitors in the market is their approach of selling technology as a solution to specific challenges. They actively engage with customers to understand their unique goals and challenges, and then align Casepoint’s technology with the mission-critical objectives of each client. “It really is about engaging with our customers and understanding what is it that you’re trying to accomplish, what is it that is keeping you up at night, what’s mission critical that you want to achieve, and how can we help you do that by using our technology.” Unlike a bespoke solution, Casepoint's technology is a unified piece of code that's intelligently configured, leveraged, and implemented to empower clients with customized results.

Haresh points to the increasing prominence of legal operations in corporate decision-making. Companies are actively constructing robust legal teams with designated leaders at the helm. This strategic shift involves a focus on leveraging AI for various functions and seeking advanced e-discovery solutions. Haresh provides a pertinent example of a recent conversation with a healthcare company worth 2 billion dollars. Despite its stature, this organization continues to rely on outdated tools like Excel spreadsheets for legal management, which raises compliance concerns. This scenario highlights the substantial room for improvement in technology integration within sizable enterprises. With organizations spanning diverse technology maturity levels, a promising landscape for collaborations and partnerships emerges. However, Haresh also suggests the entry of many new players in the space is possibly confusing the end-market because everyone is calling the same set of customers and “trying to convince them that what they have to offer is better than what anyone else has to offer. Evaluation becomes more difficult. Choosing your technology stack becomes more difficult.”

Casepoint's success is marked by solving intricate problems for high-profile clients, including governments and multinational corporations. Haresh's pride lies in impacting communities through unconventional choices, like establishing an offshore center in India, fostering local tech growth and entrepreneurial ventures.

In “Careers  and the Business of Law,” I offer strategic insights for executives, like this one encapsulating Haresh's journey, Casepoint's adaptive approach, and the evolving legal tech landscape. My selection of elite businesses in the field of law emphasizes tangible problem-solving, adaptability, and sustainable growth within a dynamic industry. 

Follow along with the next episode of "Careers and the Business of Law" to discovery other executives of The Big 6 in e-Discovery".