In-house legal teams struggle to keep pace with expanding strategic role
In-house legal departments are rapidly repositioning themselves as strategic business functions, but many organisations still lack the operational structures and integrated systems needed to support that shift.
That is the central finding of The Integration Imperative – Optimising the Legal Engine of the Future, the latest global survey released by Lawyers On Demand (LOD), part of Consilio. The report draws on responses from 678 legal, risk and compliance professionals worldwide and highlights growing pressure on in-house teams to balance legal expertise, business strategy and technology leadership.
According to the survey, 71% of respondents now identify their teams primarily as strategic business partners, overtaking the traditional specialist legal advisory role, selected by 62%. The figure marks a sharp increase from 21% last year and just 4% two years ago.
The report suggests the transformation is happening faster than many legal operating models can accommodate.
Workload remains the leading source of pressure for in-house teams, cited by 56% of respondents. But responsibility for technology-related decisions now follows closely behind at 54%, reflecting the expanding remit of legal departments as organisations accelerate digital transformation initiatives.
AI and legal technology adoption continue to grow, although implementation appears fragmented. Nearly half of respondents (46%) said they operate across disconnected systems, while 48% still rely on manual workarounds. Another 34% reported duplicated data across multiple platforms, pointing to persistent inefficiencies and governance risks.
The survey also found that change is increasingly being driven from the top. Emerging technologies and leadership vision were cited equally (both at 46%) as the main drivers of innovation within legal functions.
Flexible legal talent models are becoming more common, with 52% of in-house teams now using flex resources through embedded or managed-service arrangements. However, the report notes that most organisations still do not view flexible talent as a long-term strategic lever, despite rising workload and transformation demands.
Simon Harper (pictured), Founder of LOD, said legal teams are being asked to evolve on multiple fronts simultaneously. “In-house teams are redefining their mandate faster and more decisively than ever,” Harper said. “This expanded mandate requires legal teams to simultaneously reflect on the context of their functions whilst managing ever-increasing workloads.”
Harper added that organisations will need to focus on integrating technology, strengthening governance and building more adaptable workforce models if legal functions are to sustain their broader strategic role.
