Uncertainty permeates almost every conversation – and it takes more than two hands to count the opportunities it creates for law firms. Shifting tides are an understatement – because these tides carry opportunity for those who dare to paddle into them.
Our new survey of legal spending shows just how far the balance of power has swung toward risk – and how client spending follows it.
Virtually every client decision – hire, strategy, settlement, or delay – is now a high-stakes move. Risk is no longer background noise; it’s the battlefield itself. Corporate counsel are making decisions under fire, where hesitation costs millions and missteps can move markets.
This shift explains everything else – rising rates, fiercer fights, demand for strategic counsel, and the premium on strategy and creativity.
The firms winning now aren’t the ones with the most lawyers – they’re the ones who can bring clarity and courage – and speed.
BTI’s exclusive research reveals the reason why the only certainty is an increase in outside counsel spending. Here’s what’s driving it:
1. Relentless contention. Legal issues have become cage matches. Clients are stuck in “no-lose” mode – they have to win to get what they want. Both sides walk in with the same mindset, so every dispute grows tougher, longer and more combustible.
2. Exponential risk. Every decision now moves real money – sometimes billions. One wrong call can hit revenue, tank a stock price or kill a key line of business.
3. Boardroom exposure. Risk has gone C-suite. Directors and CEOs now want visibility – and accountability – on every major matter.
4. Compressed patience. Clients have less time and less tolerance as consequences rise. They turn to outside counsel for instant clarity and decisive action.
5. Unstoppable complexity. Regulation, geopolitics and AI collide to create an unrelenting legal maze – one too fluid to navigate without outside help.
Together, these forces make risk the new growth currency.
The market is moving fast, but not blindly. Firms decoding client risk – and acting before clients even articulate it – will own 2026. Everyone else will be fighting the tide.
Gain immediate access to this rare opportunity in BTI’s Practice Outlook 2026 now – the gold standard for spotting every market twist, client shift and rate premium before they hit. Order your copy here.
Best in the market ahead –
MBR
The Mad Clientist
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