Under the radar: How are legal teams transforming

By Mari Cruz Taboada /Partner at Lexington Consultants & Professor, LawAhead Center on the Legal Profession at IE Law School

Legal departments are undergoing significant change, though much of it remains invisible as it takes place behind the scenes. Artificial intelligence is a major driver of this transformation.

As legal departments push forward on their transformation journey, they are increasingly confronted by an uncomfortable question: Is the traditional legal service model still fit for purpose?

Article published by LawAhead IE Law School.

In this report, Mari Cruz Taboada explores how legal teams are rising to the challenge, drawing on insights from general counsels and board secretaries at leading organizations such as Aena, CaixaBank, Mapfre, Microsoft Spain and Telefónica S.A., and supported by survey data provided by 107 in-house lawyers across Spain, thus offering a detailed view of the subtle yet profound transformation that is taking place in the legal sector.Over the past decade, corporate legal departments have evolved significantly. Yet it is only in hindsight that the full impact on legal services has become clear, reflected in changing team structures, new approaches to procuring external services, and a shift toward more strategic, business-aligned legal roles.

This shift is being driven by both internal and external factors such as tighter regulation, globalization, rapid technological change, and ongoing cost-cutting demands. All of these factors are progressively reshaping the role of in-house lawyers, and redefining their expectations of external legal providers.

Read the full research here.