A recent survey of legal professionals has found that risk, demand and operations have become more complicated for 60 percent of legal department leaders, while an increased rate of risk and demand is accelerating for 87 percent.
But according to The Seventh Annual General Counsel Report from FTI Technology and Relativity, rather than triggering a reactive response, this sustained pressure is reshaping how legal leaders operate.
The report identifies an ‘unfazed era,’ where general counsel are adapting to constant disruption with pragmatism. As one respondent put it: ‘that rapid pace has become the norm.’
A shift away from crisis mode
Legal departments are no longer functioning in continuous crisis mode. Years of overlapping regulatory, technological and geopolitical challenges have forced a reset in expectations and priorities. Instead of chasing perfection, leaders are now ‘practical and highly focused on incremental, steady progress,’ the report’s authors write.
The role itself has expanded significantly. General counsel are increasingly embedded in business strategy, expected to go beyond legal advice. ‘It is not enough to be a legal advisor today. You need to be both an entrepreneur and a business professional, working alongside your clients,’ one respondent said.
At the same time, financial pressures persist. Teams are ‘always asked to do more with less and need to be more efficient with their legal budgets,’ while CFOs are ‘pushing the general counsel to extract greater value from their teams.’
Demand rises across the board
Workloads are increasing across more than 20 areas, with regulatory change the most significant driver. Handling new laws and regulations ranks highest, followed by tariffs and contract management. Data-related risks remain a constant concern. As one general counsel summarized: ‘Data breaches, always. Tariffs, of course.’
Legal teams are also devoting more time to compliance monitoring (36 percent), regulatory investigations (34 percent) and legal technology implementation (32 percent), the survey found. Disputes and investigations are rising globally, with 37 percent pointing to regulatory investigations as a key driver.
The advisory role of legal departments is expanding in parallel. ‘We have seen an increase in business advisory activities,’ one leader noted, adding that general counsel are now central to helping organizations ‘plan appropriately’ amid uncertainty.
Stable risk outlook, deeper concerns
Despite ongoing disruption, perceptions of the most pressing risks have remained relatively steady. Regulatory compliance continues to rank first, followed by data privacy and data protection.
However, the underlying risk landscape is becoming more nuanced. Attitudes around AI illustrate this tension: while not always ranked among the top risks, roughly 70 percent of respondents expressed concerns about its impact. One respondent cautioned that ‘AI is being viewed as the panacea for driving efficiencies; however, there are associated data risks.’
Another highlighted the regulatory burden: ‘We are also being inundated with regulations, so it is difficult to keep up.’
Geopolitical risk is also intensifying. ‘We operate in more than 60 countries, making geopolitical risk a significant concern,’ said one general counsel.
Technology accelerates, with caution
Technological adoption is advancing quickly, even as time and resource constraints remain. The share of legal departments with a technology roadmap has risen to 53 percent, up from 25 percent the previous year, the survey showed.
Generative AI adoption has surged to 87 percent, compared to 44 percent a year earlier. One respondent warned: ‘If you are a CLO and are not comfortable, the law department may be left behind.’
Use cases are expanding, particularly in summarization, research and contract analysis. However, caution remains in higher-risk areas. ‘I am not comfortable using AI for investigations,’ one general counsel said, emphasizing the need for human oversight in critical tasks.
Key concerns include data privacy, security and the creation of new discoverable data. As one respondent observed: ‘People are not reviewing AI-generated content with a critical eye.’
Balancing pressure with resilience
To manage rising demand, general counsel are adopting a mix of strategies. Reliance on outside counsel remains high, while 47 percent are turning to external service providers. At the same time, 39 percent are using AI and 37 percent other technologies to improve efficiency.
This blended approach reflects both necessity and intent. ‘Given the complexity of regulations and how quickly they are changing, we also rely on generative AI for summaries and updates, but we check those against the expertise of our outside counsel,’ one leader explained.
Preparedness is improving, with 77 percent reporting a proactive approach to information governance. However, some disconnect remains between legal and technology leaders, particularly around AI-related risks.
Steady leadership in uncertain times
One of the most consistent findings is the discipline with which general counsel are approaching their role. External political and societal pressures appear to have limited influence, with 67 percent saying such factors do not affect their choice of outside counsel. As one respondent put it: ‘We are a business and do not consider politics.’
This steady mindset is defining the modern general counsel. Rather than reacting to uncertainty, they are focusing on long-term priorities and measured progress.
As one leader concluded: ‘I am cautiously driving us into the great unknown and every day it becomes less of a mystery.’