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Washington DC, June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA) today announced the results of the 2025 ACC Law Department Management Benchmarking Report, a premier legal industry resource for evaluating financial and operational performance within corporate legal departments.
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Now in its sixth edition, the annual benchmarking report delivers new insights into critical areas such as legal team structure, workload distribution, and legal technology investment. This year’s findings highlight trends in the adoption of legal technology, with notable growth in AI-powered tools. While legal tech still represents a relatively small portion of overall legal budgets, smaller organizations are allocating a greater percentage of their spend to these solutions—indicating a strategic shift toward innovation and efficiency.
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The 2025 survey provides law department leaders with a comprehensive view of industry benchmarks, enabling them to assess their operations against peers and pinpoint opportunities to drive value and performance.
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“With rising economic uncertainty, shifting geopolitical dynamics, and the growing impact of tariffs and regulatory change, corporate lawyers are under more pressure than ever to deliver value while controlling costs,” said Veta T. Richardson, president & CEO of ACC. “This report provides chief legal officers, general counsel, and legal operations professionals with the critical information they need to make informed decisions on staffing, workload allocation, legal spend, and technology in an increasingly unpredictable world.”
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“The demand for sophisticated legal and business expertise continues to grow, even as teams and budgets evolve,” shared Greg Richter, Partner and Vice President of MLA’s Retained Search, In-House Counsel Recruiting team. “Investment in legal isn’t just about resourcing; it’s about positioning legal teams to lead through change. As legal departments take on broader strategic responsibilities, this report equips leaders with a critical roadmap for where and how legal can deliver and drive real value to the broader business.”
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Key highlights from the data include:
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- Technology Adoption: The major spike in AI tech adoption is a significant enabler for law department efficiency. The percentage of companies that implemented AI tools increased from 34% last year to 52% this year.
- Internal Legal Staffing: Mid-sized companies ($1-5B in revenue) have increased their median total legal staff from 16 to 20 in the past year, leading to an increase in internal legal spending from $2.8 million to $3.1 million.
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- Outside Counsel Spend: There is a clear trend of consolidating relationships with fewer law firms, with the median number of firms used by companies declining from 14 to 10 in the past year. Simultaneously, there has been an increase in the adoption of Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs), particularly among companies with over $1 billion in revenue.
- Fee Arrangements: The continued dominance of hourly rates highlights the ingrained nature of this billing model. However, the greater use of fixed/flat fees in IP and capped fees in litigation and M&A indicates a growing desire for more predictable pricing in specific practice areas. 25% of law departments use fixed/flat fees for some portion of their IP work. 14% use capped fees for M&A work, and 12% use capped fees in litigation.
- Legal Department’s Strategic Expansion: The data reveals an uptick in CLO oversight, with a 7% increase in compliance responsibilities, an 8% rise in risk management oversight, and a 5% jump in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) leadership.
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