The purview and approach of corporate legal departments have transformed in recent years, with some of the most significant changes taking place between 2023 and 2024. General counsel are more technology inclined than ever, more focused on running strategic and efficient departments, and more targeted in how they allocate their resources.
In this fourth and final part of The General Counsel Report 2024, Ari Kaplan Advisors explores these changes and more. Read the report for insights from 60 chief legal officers around the globe.
You’ll learn:
- How technology and a proactive approach to risk management are positively impacting legal departments
- The areas where general counsel see the biggest increases in workload
- How increases in demand are impacting staffing models across the industry and globe
- The current state of retention in legal departments around the world.
Notable Observations
Most notably, Part 4 of the report found that among the legal department leaders surveyed globally:
- 53% of general counsel aim to delegate operational decisions to legal operations.
- Diversity, inclusion and belonging were described as focused priorities with allocated budgets, ownership, objectives and benchmarks among 55% of respondents.
- 13% said they were either not practicing any form of hybrid work or had experienced a negative result from such arrangements, due to isolation or disengagement of employees.
- As retention is described as “both a risk and a concern,” 87% of general counsel based outside of the U.S. describe the current state of retention within their legal departments as stable.
