The General Counsel Report Identifies Priorities and Biggest Drivers of Cost Increases for Legal Departments
FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN) and Relativity released part one of The General Counsel Report 2025, revealing significant trends in corporate legal departments. The study, based on interviews with chief legal officers and a survey of over 200 general counsel, shows that 85% of general counsel expect increased corporate risk and legal department demands.
Key findings include: 51% consider disputes and investigations a top-five risk, with 41% ranking regulatory compliance as their primary concern. Data challenges are particularly pressing, with 88% of general counsel expressing concern about emerging data sources, and 65% feeling unprepared to handle related issues. Half reported increased costs in disputes and investigations, while data privacy remains a critical focus, consuming significant legal department time for 61% of respondents.
The report also highlights increased reliance on law firms, rising from 63% in 2024 to over 75% in 2025, as departments address widening risks.
FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN) e Relativity hanno pubblicato la prima parte del The General Counsel Report 2025, rivelando tendenze significative nei dipartimenti legali aziendali. Lo studio, basato su interviste con dirigenti legali e un sondaggio su oltre 200 direttori legali, mostra che l'85% dei direttori legali si aspetta un aumento del rischio aziendale e delle richieste nei dipartimenti legali.
I risultati chiave includono: il 51% considera le controversie e le indagini un rischio tra i primi cinque, con il 41% che classifica la conformità normativa come la loro principale preoccupazione. Le sfide legate ai dati sono particolarmente pressanti, con l'88% dei direttori legali che esprime preoccupazione per le nuove fonti di dati, e il 65% si sente impreparato ad affrontare questioni correlate. La metà ha segnalato un aumento dei costi nelle controversie e nelle indagini, mentre la privacy dei dati rimane un focus critico, occupando una parte significativa del tempo del dipartimento legale per il 61% degli intervistati.
Il rapporto evidenzia anche una maggiore dipendenza dagli studi legali, che è passata dal 63% nel 2024 a oltre il 75% nel 2025, mentre i dipartimenti affrontano rischi sempre più ampi.
FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN) y Relativity publicaron la primera parte del The General Counsel Report 2025, revelando tendencias significativas en los departamentos legales corporativos. El estudio, basado en entrevistas con directores legales y una encuesta a más de 200 asesores legales, muestra que el 85% de los asesores legales espera un aumento del riesgo corporativo y de las demandas en los departamentos legales.
Los hallazgos clave incluyen: el 51% considera que las disputas y las investigaciones son un riesgo entre los cinco principales, con un 41% que clasifica el cumplimiento regulatorio como su principal preocupación. Los desafíos de datos son particularmente apremiantes, con el 88% de los asesores legales expresando preocupación por las nuevas fuentes de datos, y el 65% se siente despreparado para manejar problemas relacionados. La mitad informó un aumento de costos en disputas e investigaciones, mientras que la privacidad de los datos sigue siendo un enfoque crítico, consumiendo un tiempo significativo del departamento legal para el 61% de los encuestados.
El informe también destaca una mayor dependencia de los bufetes de abogados, que ha aumentado del 63% en 2024 a más del 75% en 2025, a medida que los departamentos abordan riesgos en expansión.
FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN)와 Relativity는 The General Counsel Report 2025의 첫 번째 부분을 발표하며 기업 법무 부서의 중요한 동향을 드러냈습니다. 이 연구는 최고 법무 책임자와 200명 이상의 일반 고문과의 인터뷰를 기반으로 하며, 85%의 일반 고문이 기업 위험이 증가할 것으로 예상하고 있다고 보여줍니다.
주요 발견 사항은 다음과 같습니다: 51%가 분쟁 및 조사를 주요 5대 위험으로 고려하고 있으며, 41%는 규제 준수를 가장 큰 우려 사항으로 분류합니다. 데이터 문제는 특히 긴급하며, 88%의 일반 고문이 새로운 데이터 출처에 대해 우려를 표명하고, 65%는 관련 문제를 처리할 준비가 되어 있지 않다고 느끼고 있습니다. 절반은 분쟁 및 조사에서 비용이 증가했다고 보고했으며, 데이터 프라이버시는 여전히 중요한 초점으로 남아 있으며, 61%의 응답자가 법무 부서의 상당한 시간을 소모하고 있습니다.
보고서는 또한 법률 사무소에 대한 의존도가 증가하고 있음을 강조하며, 이는 2024년 63%에서 2025년에는 75% 이상으로 증가하고 있습니다. 이는 부서들이 확장되는 위험에 대응하기 위해 노력하고 있음을 나타냅니다.
FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN) et Relativity ont publié la première partie du The General Counsel Report 2025, révélant des tendances significatives dans les départements juridiques des entreprises. L'étude, basée sur des interviews avec des directeurs juridiques et une enquête auprès de plus de 200 conseillers juridiques, montre que 85% des conseillers juridiques s'attendent à une augmentation du risque d'entreprise et des demandes au sein des départements juridiques.
Les résultats clés incluent : 51% considèrent les litiges et les enquêtes comme un risque parmi les cinq principaux, avec 41% plaçant la conformité réglementaire en tête de leurs préoccupations. Les défis liés aux données sont particulièrement pressants, 88% des conseillers juridiques exprimant des inquiétudes concernant les nouvelles sources de données, et 65% se sentant mal préparés à gérer les problèmes connexes. La moitié a signalé une augmentation des coûts dans les litiges et les enquêtes, tandis que la protection des données reste une priorité critique, occupant une part significative du temps du département juridique pour 61% des répondants.
Le rapport met également en évidence une dépendance accrue aux cabinets d'avocats, passant de 63% en 2024 à plus de 75% en 2025, alors que les départements font face à des risques croissants.
FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN) und Relativity haben den ersten Teil des The General Counsel Report 2025 veröffentlicht, der bedeutende Trends in den Unternehmensrechtsabteilungen aufzeigt. Die Studie, die auf Interviews mit Chief Legal Officers und einer Umfrage unter über 200 General Counsels basiert, zeigt, dass 85% der General Counsels von einem erhöhten Unternehmensrisiko und von Anforderungen an die Rechtsabteilungen ausgehen.
Wichtige Ergebnisse sind: 51% betrachten Streitigkeiten und Ermittlungen als eines der fünf größten Risiken, wobei 41% die Einhaltung von Vorschriften als ihre Hauptsorge einstufen. Datenherausforderungen sind besonders drängend, da 88% der General Counsels Bedenken hinsichtlich neuer Datenquellen äußern und 65% sich unvorbereitet fühlen, um damit verbundene Probleme zu bewältigen. Die Hälfte berichtete von gestiegenen Kosten bei Streitigkeiten und Ermittlungen, während der Datenschutz nach wie vor ein kritischer Schwerpunkt bleibt, der 61% der Befragten erheblich Zeit in der Rechtsabteilung kostet.
Der Bericht hebt auch die zunehmende Abhängigkeit von Rechtsanwaltskanzleien hervor, die von 63% im Jahr 2024 auf über 75% im Jahr 2025 gestiegen ist, während die Abteilungen sich mit wachsenden Risiken auseinandersetzen.
- Expanded market opportunities in regulatory compliance and data privacy services
- Growing demand for legal department services indicates potential revenue growth
- Increased reliance on external firms (75% vs 63% in 2024) suggests strong business pipeline
- None.
Insights
The 2025 General Counsel Report reveals several powerful tailwinds for FTI Consulting's business model and revenue growth potential. The documented surge in legal department challenges presents multiple revenue expansion opportunities across FTI's service portfolio.
Three key business catalysts emerge from the findings:
- The significant increase in regulatory compliance concerns (up 11 percentage points to 41%) suggests accelerating demand for FTI's compliance advisory services, particularly as companies navigate complex global regulations like the EU AI Act
- Rising data privacy and incident response workloads (cited by 61% and 58% of respondents respectively) align perfectly with FTI's technology consulting capabilities
- The marked increase in external service provider utilization (from 63% to 75%) indicates expanding market opportunity and potential pricing power
The global nature of the survey, covering multiple regions and company sizes, also validates FTI's international expansion strategy. The report's emphasis on emerging data sources and AI regulation creates particular opportunities in FTI's technology segment, which has been a key growth driver.
Most notably, the combination of increased regulatory complexity, data challenges, and investigation volumes suggests a shift toward more recurring, complex engagements rather than one-off projects. This trend typically leads to higher margins and more predictable revenue streams in the consulting sector.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE: FCN) and global technology company Relativity today announced findings from part one of The General Counsel Report 2025. The study found that
This sixth annual edition of the report is based on findings from one-on-one interviews between Ari Kaplan Advisors and chief legal officers at large corporations around the world, as well as a quantitative survey of more than 200 general counsel in a dozen countries. Together, the two data pools examined the current state of global corporate legal functions and year-over-year analysis of developing trends. Alongside the reported uptick in risks surrounding disputes and investigations, regulatory compliance topped the list of concerns among legal department leaders, with
Data challenges have continued to complicate the mix of issues facing general counsel. When asked about the risks of emerging data sources such as collaboration applications, linked content and cloud productivity platforms,
“General counsel continue to amplify their role as a guardian of data, risk, incident response, and increasingly, company strategy,” said Sophie Ross, Global Chief Executive Officer of FTI Technology. “Through an increasing openness to technology, a focus on business objectives and reliance on strategic expert partners, most general counsel have struck a realistic balance between absorbing increased risk and fueling growth within their organizations. Given the current fluidity across business, technology and regulatory environments, general counsel will need to maintain this careful balance and prioritize adaptability across the evolving landscape of data-driven challenges.”
Key findings covered in part one of The General Counsel Report 2025 include:
- Half said the cost of disputes and investigations has grown, with some attributing the increase to more complexity, more data and stricter regulations.
- The percentage of general counsel who consider regulatory compliance to be their number one risk increased by 11 percentage points from the prior year’s report to
41% . - When asked which regulations they are following closely in the year ahead, general counsel were most focused on privacy regulation in jurisdictions outside the United States (
44% ), the EU AI Act (35% ) and other AI regulation in jurisdictions outside the United States (35% ). - Data privacy continues to be considered a leading risk overall, and
61% of general counsel indicated data privacy takes up the most time from the legal department, while58% said incident response matters such as data breaches take up the most time. - More than one-third said internal investigations are the top trigger for all their disputes and investigations activity and
25% cited whistleblowers as a leading factor. - More than
75% said they are addressing widening risks through increased reliance on law firms, compared to63% in the 2024 report.
“Not surprisingly, with new governments in the UK and the United States, we saw a substantial increase in chief legal officers reporting regulatory compliance as a major risk in this year’s sixth annual edition of The General Counsel Report,” said David Horrigan, Discovery Counsel and Legal Education Director at Relativity. “Data privacy and data protection lead the way as regulatory risks, and, in the era of rapid change, an overwhelming majority predict risk to increase at an even faster rate.”
The General Counsel Report 2025 is available for download here. Part two will be released in March 2025.
Demographics and Methodology
In July and August 2024, Ari Kaplan personally interviewed 34 leaders serving as the general counsel or chief legal officer of their organizations. Sixty-five percent have a role with global responsibilities and
About FTI Consulting
FTI Consulting, Inc. is a leading global expert firm for organizations facing crisis and transformation, with more than 8,300 employees in 34 countries and territories. The Company generated
About Relativity
Relativity makes software to help users organize data, discover the truth and act on it. Its SaaS product, RelativityOne, manages large volumes of data and quickly identifies key issues during litigation and internal investigations. Relativity has more than 300,000 users in approximately 40 countries serving thousands of organizations globally primarily in legal, financial services and government sectors, including the U.S. Department of Justice and 198 of the Am Law 200. Please contact Relativity at sales@relativity.com or visit www.relativity.com for more information.
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FAQ
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