{"id":155493,"date":"2026-06-26T15:32:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T23:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/06\/26\/in-house-counsel-say-they-want-more-from-outside-counsel-but-dont-demand-it\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T15:32:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T23:32:41","slug":"in-house-counsel-say-they-want-more-from-outside-counsel-but-dont-demand-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2026\/06\/26\/in-house-counsel-say-they-want-more-from-outside-counsel-but-dont-demand-it\/","title":{"rendered":"In-House Counsel Say They Want More From Outside Counsel But Don\u2019t Demand It"},"content":{"rendered":"

On June 22, Thomson Reuters<\/a> released its annual Future of Professionals Report<\/a> that shows a continuing gap between what clients want from their law firms and what they are getting. Despite the continuing drumbeat of how AI is changing legal, the results paint a pretty dismal picture of AI use by law firms.<\/p>\n

Steve Hasker, president and CEO of TR, summed it up in his foreword to the report:\u00a0<\/p>\n

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While many organizations we spoke with have articulated AI strategies, they are not reflected in the day-to-day experience of their teams, and the expected improvements in quality, speed, and efficiencies have not yet materialized; not because the technology failed, but because the organization did not change around it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The (Not So) Surprising Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is the biggest headline: 78% of the clients want AI improvements from their law firms. But only 6% \u2014 yes, 6%! \u2014 are getting those improvements. That\u2019s a significant gap. In fact, some 32% say they will be reconsidering firms that aren\u2019t satisfactorily using AI in the next year.<\/p>\n

And it appears all the more alarming when you look at some other statistics from the survey. Of those surveyed, 74% say they use AI several times a week. Given the dissatisfaction with how slowly clients perceive their law firms are moving with AI programs, that suggests that a lot of lawyers are just using AI in ways that aren\u2019t part of formal programs that are communicated to their clients. Indeed, 34% say they are using AI tools that their firm has not sanctioned and in ways the firm can\u2019t see. Gulp.<\/p>\n

The lack of formal programs is even more surprising when you consider that 66% of those in firms with a clear AI strategy report that AI is meeting or exceeding expectations when it comes to quality of work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So what we have is\u00a0<\/p>\n