Understaffing, Budget Cuts Continue to Roil In-House Legal Teams

In-house legal teams continue to face growing responsibility and declining budgets, according to a report Tuesday from Axiom.

General counsel “overwhelmingly report their teams lack resources across the board—the necessary budget, staffing, technology, expertise, and team structure—to accomplish their required tasks,” according to a report from the legal talent company.

Of the 300 US GCs surveyed by Wakefield Research for Axiom, 96% reported budget cuts, 81% described their departments as critically understaffed, and 80% foresaw a hiring freeze this year. Compounding those issues is that most GCs reported that turnover rose last year.

“There’s also a snowball effect,” the report ...