CSC, a global business administration and compliance adviser based in Wilmington, Delaware, released on Tuesday its General Counsel Barometer 2025, showing that 97% of respondents are already using AI, with 49% saying the technology is significantly helping their legal teams. CSC operates in 140 jurisdictions across Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.
"Even a year ago, everyone was interested in AI, but at the same time, were still standing on the sidelines and asking how trustworthy it was," said Thijs van Ingen, global head of corporate solutions at CSC, in a statement. "We're now seeing real added value and productivity gains, particularly in complex areas like M&A. The shift towards tech-enabled partners shows GCs are acting decisively to modernize their departments in the face of mounting operational pressure."
Ian McConnel, CSC's chief legal officer, told Law360 Pulse on Tuesday: "I think the most significant finding is the close interplay between providing traditional legal advice and counsel with best-in-class technology that not only enables efficiencies but also broadens the reach of the general counsel's office writ large. It feels like the in-house legal world is on the cusp of a tech-enabled revolution, where information is both delivered and actioned through new technologies."
Van Ingen agreed that AI and other demands have broadened the role of general counsel.
"By embedding smarter systems and forming strategic partnerships, GCs are playing a pivotal role in helping their organizations manage risk, drive efficiency, and scale legal operations globally," his statement said. "This marks a defining shift in the role of legal function, where GCs are guiding their organizations into a more agile, tech-enabled future."
The report cited six key uses of AI by legal teams: contract drafting and review; mergers and acquisitions deal documentation; environmental, social and governance data collection and reporting; due diligence; interrogating legislative or regulatory guidelines; and automating global employee agreement reviews.
McConnel said he also envisions regulatory tech-enabled horizon scanning, automated corporate governance tasks and the use of large language modeled databases all helping general counsel to provide more timely and accurate advice.
This is the third year that CSC, in partnership with Pure Profile, has conducted its survey. It involved 350 general counsel and senior legal compliance officers in the Americas, Europe, the U.K. and Asia Pacific, with survey respondents drawn from a range of industry sectors including communications, banking and financial services, healthcare, insurance, law and real estate.
Besides technology, the study examined cross-border expansion, regulatory changes, and talent shortages and other challenges in legal teams.
Some 98% of respondents said their organizations plan to expand in 2025, and about half of those indicated international expansion, despite ongoing market uncertainty.
Participants ranked the changing regulatory landscape as the number one risk to legal operations in 2025, with understanding local legal systems and ongoing compliance requirements as the main challenge when growing.
McConnel, the chief legal officer, explained: "Managing growth in a variety of jurisdictions is complex [with additional regulations] to navigate. If you're increasing your footprint, there can then be 'circuit breakers' where a certain number of employees or clients will take you into a higher regulated state."
Asked what general counsel should take away from this study, McConnel said, "There is a compelling need for general counsel to get tech-savvy. The legal profession is not known as an early adopter of tech-enabled services and in some ways, the industry has been trailing other corporate functions that have more readily embraced new technologies — insurance, accounting, and audit to name a few."
He added,"GCs need to make sure they are using the best tools to not only drive efficiency, but also increase the value proposition of the overall legal function to the business."
--Editing by Linda Voorhis.
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