2025 Survey: How In-House Teams are Managing Outside Counsel Spend
Take the next step toward offloading bill review and get a copy of the white paper today
In 2025, legal departments face increasing complexity. Outside counsel rates continue to rise, internal teams are managing heavier workloads with fewer resources, and cost containment remains a top strategic priority. Yet despite this heightened focus, many organizations still lack the processes and visibility required to manage legal spend effectively.
Outside Counsel Spend Is Under Intensifying Scrutiny
Legal departments are managing heavier workloads, tighter budgets, and rising expectations—yet many still lack the tools and capacity to enforce billing standards or conduct thorough reviews.
A recent survey by LegalBillReview.com and In-House Connect reveals significant gaps in how in-house teams are managing outside counsel spend.
Key Findings
60% of legal departments operate without formal billing guidelines
Among those with guidelines, 87% report inconsistent enforcement
50% believe they’re being overbilled, but 87% spend less than four hours/month reviewing invoices
79% face cost-reduction pressure, yet 57% don’t track or quantify savings
55% rely solely on internal bill review, often using manual or outdated processes
Despite increased focus on legal spend, most teams are under-resourced to manage it effectively—leading to compliance risk, missed savings, and inefficiencies across the department.
Get the Full Survey Findings
The full white paper includes deeper benchmarks and guidance for legal, finance, and compliance leaders navigating outside counsel oversight in 2025.
Request a proposal today to receive the full report and learn how LegalBillReview.com delivers measurable savings, reduces internal burden, and enhances legal operations—without disrupting law firm relationships.
Our Services
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Outside Counsel Guidelines
As part of our onboarding, we provide our Outside Counsel Guidelines that can be tailored to your specific organization. We then use these guidelines as a basis for our reviews.
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Detailed Bill Review
Save time by outsourcing detailed manual legal bill review to our US-based licensed attorneys.
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Invoice Negotiation
Our Law Firm Relations team expertly handles invoice discussions with law firms, ensuring positive, collaborative outcomes and seamless agreement on final bills.
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Real-Time Reporting
We provide a real-time dashboard with savings reports to help you analyze your legal spend.
