Special report
2026 Legal Department Operations Report
Legal operations began as specialist IT support — the team that helped configure software and troubleshoot logins. Today, the profession is expected to master legal project management, vendor evaluation, data governance, and daily operations, all while leading the legal department through the most disruptive technology shift of its career — AI.
The stakes have never been higher. General Counsel (GC) are doubling down on technology as a strategic priority and legal operations sits at the centre of that shift — whilst trying to cover all their responsibilities with limited budget and headcount.
In the 2026 Legal Department Operations Report from the Thomson Reuters Institute, you’ll learn:
- How 86% of GCs see legal as a significant business contributor, but only 17% of the C-suite agrees
- How legal ops is shifting to setting technology strategy for the department
- How business pressure on GCs is being transferred to legal ops
- How legal ops is driving changes in outside counsel relationships
- How thin staffing puts legal ops’ impact at risk
Read the report to see how your peers are navigating this transformation and where the opportunities for legal operations lie today.