Washington, DC, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), the premiere global organization representing the professional and business interests of in-house counsel, in collaboration with the world’s leading legal executive search firm, Major, Lindsey, & Africa, today announced the launch of the 7th Annual Law Department Management Benchmarking Survey, seeking input from in-house legal departments globally.
By collecting operational and financial data from hundreds of legal departments across various sizes and sectors, the results will provide General Counsel and Legal Operations leaders with the critical insights needed to help demonstrate measurable business impact. The 7th annual survey will equip leaders with the competitive benchmarks necessary to optimize the make vs. buy equation and improve ROI within their departments.
“For seven years, this survey has served as a cornerstone for data-driven decision-making among in-house legal leaders,” said Jason L. Brown, ACC president and CEO. “Our goal is to empower legal departments of every size to move beyond anecdotal evidence and toward concrete, actionable benchmarks. In an era where ‘doing more with less’ is the standard, having access to peer-group data isn’t just an advantage — it’s a necessity.”
Turning Data into Strategy
The survey will be open for participation from the week of February 9 through April 10, 2026. This data collection tracks key performance indicators (KPIs), including:
- Total legal spend as a percentage of company revenue.
- Internal vs. external staffing ratios.
- Number of lawyers per $ billion in company revenue.
- Legal technology spend.
Exclusive Participant Benefits: Interactive Dashboard
To encourage broad participation and provide immediate value, all contributing legal departments will receive complimentary access to an exclusive interactive dashboard upon the report’s release in mid-June.
Unlike static reports, this dashboard allows participants to filter results by industry, department size, and company revenue, enabling precise “apples-to-apples” comparisons against relevant peer groups.
“There is no more powerful tool than benchmarking for building a business case to grow your legal team alongside the business,” added Greg Richter, Partner & Vice President, Retained Search of Major, Lindsey, & Africa. “We’re excited about the adjustments we’ve made to the survey this year to encourage not only broader participation overall, but also participation from more of the world’s largest companies, to help legal departments better understand their roadmap to best-fit resourcing.”
How to Participate
Participation is confidential and data is aggregated to ensure the privacy of all contributing organizations. Legal department leaders can participate emailing research@acc.com and requesting a secure link.
The final comprehensive report is scheduled for publication in mid-June 2026, accompanied by a webinar featuring key findings and trends from the past seven years of data.
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About ACC
The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is the premier global legal association that promotes the common professional and business interests of in-house counsel who work for corporations, associations and other organizations, through information, education, networking, and advocacy. For more than 40 years, ACC has set the standard for in-house counsel and raised awareness regarding the value of the chief legal officer in the C-suite and boardroom. With nearly 50,000 members employed by over 12,000 organizations spanning 100+ nations, ACC connects its members to the people and resources necessary for both personal and professional growth. By in-house counsel, for in-house counsel® remains the foundation for ACC’s market leadership. For more information, visit www.acc.com and follow ACC on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook.
About Major, Lindsey & Africa
Major, Lindsey & Africa is the world’s leading legal search firm. The firm, founded in 1982, offers a range of specialized recruiting to meet the ever-changing legal and governance needs of law firms and corporations and to support the career aspirations of talented lawyers, compliance professionals and C-suite executives working to advance their career in the boardroom. With 27 offices and 200-plus search consultants around the world, Major, Lindsey & Africa uses its market knowledge and experience to partner with organizations to fulfill their legal and governance talent needs and provide solutions to increase team efficiency and effectiveness. Major, Lindsey & Africa is an Allegis Group company, the global leader in talent solutions. To learn more about Major, Lindsey & Africa, visit www.mlaglobal.com and follow MLA on LinkedIn, X , Facebook , YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.
Cherri Sinclair Association of Corporate Counsel 2026774778 c.sinclair@acc.com
