In-House Lawyers Seek New Ways to Cut Legal Bills, Report Finds

In-house legal departments are looking beyond law firms in order to reduce their spending and adjust to a slower pace for internal hiring, according to a new report by HBR Consulting.

HBR, which advises both law firms and corporate counsel, relied upon data supplied by 225 companies across 15 industries for the 16th edition of its annual Law Department Survey. More than half of respondents surveyed by the consultancy cited cost control as the top priority for their law department.

Almost half of those surveyed also said they expected their legal spend to increase within the next year. And while ...