We’re thrilled to officially welcome James Connor to theSyncly team. In this Q&A, James shares his take on what’s shifting in legaltech, the rising pressure for interoperability, and where he sees the greatest opportunities for firms to optimise, integrate, and grow.

There’s a quiet confidence about James Connor that fits right in at Syncly. With deep experience in legaltech businesses, including HighQ and Thomson Reuters, he’s now stepping into a new role as Syncly’s SVP of Global Sales andPartnerships.

What brought him here? “There’s real momentum right now in legaltech — particularly around solving long-standing inefficiencies throughAI, integrations, and automation.”

James has had a front-row seat to the changing pace of legal innovation. “What’s most exciting (and surprising) is how quickly firms areshifting from curiosity to action. For years, there was a lot of noise around innovation, but adoption was slow. Now, with GenAI and tighter economic pressures, client pressures and competition, firms are actively looking for solutions that reduce friction, cut waste, and unlock insights/data buried in their systems.”

That shift from experimentation to action comes with higher expectations — especially when it comes to integration. “Firms are done buying tools that don’t talk to each other,” James says. “They expect legaltech vendors to fit into their broader digital ecosystem — not create more silos.”The blockers? “Legacy systems and vendors that guard their data or don’t offerAPIs that support real-time sync.”

This is where Syncly stood out. “Syncly’s model is built around this principle, which is why I found it so compelling as a partner.”

As a partner, James saw firsthand the frustrations legal teams faced. “They were constantly wrestling with disconnected systems, duplicative data entry, and limited visibility across their tech stack. These weren’t abstract problems — they were real pain points affecting productivity and service delivery.”

What Syncly offered wasn’t just a product — it was a mindset. “They didn’t come in with a one-size-fits-all platform — they listened, adapted, and delivered integrations that actually worked. That kind of practical, client-focused innovation is rare, and it made Syncly an easy recommendation.”

He likens it to one of those universal charging stations:“It reminded me of those phone charging packs that comes with all the cables that are compatible with every phone… Syncly is built to be plug and play, no complex implementation, up and running in no time and very simple and user friendly.”

So why leave a successful role to build something new? “What drew me to Syncly was how directly they were addressing that problem — with clarity, speed, and a genuinely collaborative mindset. It wasn’t just the product that impressed me, it was the people.”

“It was also a chance to work again with friends from our days at HighQ together.”

Now at Syncly, he’s focused on scaling smart, not just scaling fast. “There’s so much appetite for what Syncly offers — it’s now about scaling smartly, listening closely to our users / clients, and continuing to innovate without overcomplicating.”

And when asked what success looks like? “Sustained, scalable growth that’s grounded in client value. I want to see Syncly become the go-to interoperability layer for legal — the connective tissue firms didn’t know they needed but now can’t live without.”

James brings not only experience but a clarity of vision.One rooted in trust, client focus, and a belief that great work can also be enjoyable. “The best places to work are the ones that don’t really feel likework — they feel like building something meaningful with a group of friends.”

We’re glad he’s building with us.

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