Consilio 2026 Global Survey Finds Legal Teams Under Pressure to Implement AI at Scale as Technology Decisions Overtake Work Volume as Biggest Challenge
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Report highlights a shift from AI experimentation to operational accountability, with fragmentation, trust, and governance emerging as limiting factors
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 9, 2026 — A just-released survey from Consilio, a global, tech-enabled legal solutions leader, finds that for the very first time the volume of work is no longer the biggest pain point for the legal industry. Instead: understanding, selecting and deploying new legal technologies has overtaken work volume as the biggest challenge for legal professionals.
“We are at a structural inflection point,” said Michael Pontrelli, Chief Client Experience Officer, Consilio. “AI is no longer peripheral; it is being embedded into everyday workflows, but often without the coordination layer required to connect technology, data, governance, and people into a system that can scale.”
Consilio’s 2026 Global Survey Report, The Age of the Innovation Orchestrator: Moving from AI adoption to commanding intelligence, examines how corporate legal departments and law firms are responding to accelerating AI adoption and the mounting pressure to operationalize intelligence with governance, trust, and accountability.
“Legal teams are not debating whether AI belongs in the workflow anymore,” Pontrelli said. “They are being asked to make it operational and accountable. Our 2026 findings show the next challenge is coordination, not experimentation. The teams that build shared standards, oversight, and an operating rhythm for intelligence will be the ones that can scale AI without adding risk or complexity.”
This year’s survey data points to a clear change in the legal mandate, with findings including:
- 54 percent of respondents cited legal technology selection and deployment as a primary challenge, compared to 52 percent who cited work volume. As a result, legal teams are moving beyond decisions about whether to adopt AI and are increasingly focused on how to make AI work responsibly and consistently across the function.
- 50 percent of all respondents and 71 percent of in-house legal respondents now see themselves as a strategic business partner to the business. This is up from 21 percent in 2025 and 4 percent in 2024 – a huge shift.
- 65 percent of respondents are intentionally redesigning how they use AI within their legal function, with 58 percent reporting increased efficiency and productivity from AI use.
- 51 percent of respondents cited emerging technology opportunities are now the strongest driver of innovation, with leadership vision close behind at 41 percent.
- 58 percent of respondents cite accuracy and lack of trust as the biggest blocker to broader AI use, and 73 percent say their top concern is incorrect or hallucinated outputs. Concerns about loss of human judgment (53 percent) and data security or confidentiality (53 percent) are also prevalent.
- Only seven percent of respondents report having a documented AI governance framework that is actively followed, while 14 percent report having no formal AI governance in place.
- 41 percent of respondents say fragmented tools that do not integrate well are their primary systems issue, and 39 percent report relying on manual workarounds between systems, which absorb time, introduce risk, and limit productivity gains.
- 52 percent of respondents identify improving document review efficiency and quality as their most critical legal data challenge, even as fragmented architectures work against speed, accuracy, and consistency.
“This year’s research shows that AI innovation is outpacing the adoption and governance frameworks designed to manage it,” said Raj Chandrasekar, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Consilio. “Without a cohesive model for integration and oversight, organizations risk fragmentation. As legal leaders are increasingly evaluated on trust and accountability, they must take a deliberate, standards-driven approach that allows gains in individual workflows to scale across the broader function.”
The report outlines five strategic priorities for legal leaders entering this next phase, including designing legal as a coordinated operating system, establishing a unifying platform foundation, curating an interoperable technology ecosystem, embedding governance as an enabler for scale, and aligning talent and partners to support orchestration.
Consilio will discuss findings from The Age of the Innovation Orchestrator at Legalweek 2026 in New York. The team will be at Booth 100, the first booth on the left as you enter the expo hall, as well as its client lounge in the 4th floor pavilion.
The full report is available here: https://www.consilio.com/global-survey-report-2026. For the sixth year, Consilio surveyed legal professionals across the globe with a 50/50 split of corporate legal and law firm respondents.
About Consilio
Consilio is a global, tech-enabled legal solutions leader that helps corporations and law firms reduce risk, control cost, and improve outcomes across the legal lifecycle. Combining advanced AI with expert services, Consilio delivers end-to-end capabilities spanning eDiscovery and review, investigations and compliance, legal data advisory and transformation, and flexible legal talent. With global scale and a strong track record running complex matters, Consilio equips legal teams to operationalize intelligence with the governance and accountability modern work requires.
Learn more at www.consilio.com.
Media Contact
Consilio Media Contact
Nia Perkovich
Report highlights a shift from AI experimentation to operational accountability, with fragmentation, trust, and governance emerging as limiting factors
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 9, 2026 — A just-released survey from Consilio, a global, tech-enabled legal solutions leader, finds that for the very first time the volume of work is no longer the biggest pain point for the legal industry. Instead: understanding, selecting and deploying new legal technologies has overtaken work volume as the biggest challenge for legal professionals.
“We are at a structural inflection point,” said Michael Pontrelli, Chief Client Experience Officer, Consilio. “AI is no longer peripheral; it is being embedded into everyday workflows, but often without the coordination layer required to connect technology, data, governance, and people into a system that can scale.”
Consilio’s 2026 Global Survey Report, The Age of the Innovation Orchestrator: Moving from AI adoption to commanding intelligence, examines how corporate legal departments and law firms are responding to accelerating AI adoption and the mounting pressure to operationalize intelligence with governance, trust, and accountability.
“Legal teams are not debating whether AI belongs in the workflow anymore,” Pontrelli said. “They are being asked to make it operational and accountable. Our 2026 findings show the next challenge is coordination, not experimentation. The teams that build shared standards, oversight, and an operating rhythm for intelligence will be the ones that can scale AI without adding risk or complexity.”
This year’s survey data points to a clear change in the legal mandate, with findings including:
- 54 percent of respondents cited legal technology selection and deployment as a primary challenge, compared to 52 percent who cited work volume. As a result, legal teams are moving beyond decisions about whether to adopt AI and are increasingly focused on how to make AI work responsibly and consistently across the function.
- 50 percent of all respondents and 71 percent of in-house legal respondents now see themselves as a strategic business partner to the business. This is up from 21 percent in 2025 and 4 percent in 2024 – a huge shift.
- 65 percent of respondents are intentionally redesigning how they use AI within their legal function, with 58 percent reporting increased efficiency and productivity from AI use.
- 51 percent of respondents cited emerging technology opportunities are now the strongest driver of innovation, with leadership vision close behind at 41 percent.
- 58 percent of respondents cite accuracy and lack of trust as the biggest blocker to broader AI use, and 73 percent say their top concern is incorrect or hallucinated outputs. Concerns about loss of human judgment (53 percent) and data security or confidentiality (53 percent) are also prevalent.
- Only seven percent of respondents report having a documented AI governance framework that is actively followed, while 14 percent report having no formal AI governance in place.
- 41 percent of respondents say fragmented tools that do not integrate well are their primary systems issue, and 39 percent report relying on manual workarounds between systems, which absorb time, introduce risk, and limit productivity gains.
- 52 percent of respondents identify improving document review efficiency and quality as their most critical legal data challenge, even as fragmented architectures work against speed, accuracy, and consistency.
“This year’s research shows that AI innovation is outpacing the adoption and governance frameworks designed to manage it,” said Raj Chandrasekar, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Consilio. “Without a cohesive model for integration and oversight, organizations risk fragmentation. As legal leaders are increasingly evaluated on trust and accountability, they must take a deliberate, standards-driven approach that allows gains in individual workflows to scale across the broader function.”
The report outlines five strategic priorities for legal leaders entering this next phase, including designing legal as a coordinated operating system, establishing a unifying platform foundation, curating an interoperable technology ecosystem, embedding governance as an enabler for scale, and aligning talent and partners to support orchestration.
Consilio will discuss findings from The Age of the Innovation Orchestrator at Legalweek 2026 in New York. The team will be at Booth 100, the first booth on the left as you enter the expo hall, as well as its client lounge in the 4th floor pavilion.
The full report is available here: https://www.consilio.com/global-survey-report-2026. For the sixth year, Consilio surveyed legal professionals across the globe with a 50/50 split of corporate legal and law firm respondents.
About Consilio
Consilio is a global, tech-enabled legal solutions leader that helps corporations and law firms reduce risk, control cost, and improve outcomes across the legal lifecycle. Combining advanced AI with expert services, Consilio delivers end-to-end capabilities spanning eDiscovery and review, investigations and compliance, legal data advisory and transformation, and flexible legal talent. With global scale and a strong track record running complex matters, Consilio equips legal teams to operationalize intelligence with the governance and accountability modern work requires.
Learn more at www.consilio.com.
Media Contact
Consilio Media Contact
Nia Perkovich
