Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
In-house lawyers are redefining the top business priorities they have set for themselves to guide both their teams and the businesses they support through a pivotal year.
As 2026 emerges as a pivotal year for in-house legal teams transitioning from traditional advisers to strategic power players, in-house lawyers have clarified the top business priorities they have set for themselves to navigate this rapidly evolving environment.
Among the issues keeping in-house lawyers up at night, artificial intelligence has emerged as the number one priority for the rest of the year, with 33 per cent of respondents identifying AI-related challenges as their key focus.
It is such a significant priority for in-house lawyers that it was identified nearly twice as often as the next leading theme.
Crafty Counsel reported that while in-house lawyers are prioritising AI adoption, they are also facing a growing challenge – proving their function still matters in an era where AI is increasingly perceived to be doing much of the work.
“In-house lawyers are, in fact, sharing ambitious transformation and adoption projects as priorities. But, many are also asking how to prove their function still matters when there is a perception that AI is doing much of the work,” Crafty Counsel said.
Geopolitical developments, regulations, and sanctions ranked as the second-highest priority for in-house lawyers, with 19 per cent identifying it as a key focus.
With global markets becoming increasingly volatile and international uncertainty continuing to rise, in-house lawyers are prioritising this area to prepare for its impact on trade, investment, and corporate strategy.
Technology continues to sit high on in-house lawyers’ priority list, with 17 per cent citing legal operations and tech adoption as a key focus this year, as the push for efficiency and budget optimisation continues to dominate conversations.
Tied in this third spot, with 17 per cent of in-house lawyers expressing this as a key focus, was governance, board and risk management.
Cost, efficiency, and budget were reported by 13 per cent of respondents as a key focus, while 11 per cent highlighted mergers and acquisitions, corporate activity, and fundraising as priorities for the year.
Together, these figures reveal a legal landscape in transformation, where technology, global uncertainty, and organisational accountability have moved from the margins to the centre of the in-house mandate.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Lawyers Weekly a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Lawyers Weekly as a preferred news source.
