GC Pulse 2025, a survey of more than 150 GCs conducted by Legal Business in association with Thomson Reuters, has revealed that a significant gap remains in legal tech awareness across companies.
While 15% of respondents to the survey are actively implementing a selected vendor solution, and a further 30% describe themselves as ‘advanced’ on their journey, a striking 40% say they are still ‘only just becoming aware’ of the problems technology could solve.
In other words, just under half of GCs canvassed for the report remain at the start of their legal tech journey.
Michael Daubenmerkl, Commercial and Trademark Attorney at W.L. Gore & Associates, emphasised why legal tech adoption matters: ‘Lawyers are regularly among the highest-paid individual contributors in organisations, and expectations around value creation and risk mitigation are high,’ he said.
‘Enabling faster response times and self-service functions are areas where the impact [of legal tech] is most visible.’
The survey also revealed a notable division when it came to securing buy-in for legal tech, both from the wider company and within the legal team.
While one-third (32%) of GCs said they find it easy or very easy to secure approval for technology purchases. An equal proportion (32%) said they found it ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to gain approval, with some respondents adding that management is often more likely to greenlight proposals from functions such as sales or procurement. Eighty percent of respondents said they expect to spend up to 20% of legal budget on tech solutions – up from 68% lat year.
Michael Hartleben, GC at German grid component manufacturer, Trench Group, said that clarity of message can aid those experiencing pushback: ‘What makes it easier is to ignore all other functions and look at a purely legal business case…think about how the use of the tool will increase legal transparency, especially on costs and efficiency.’
Max Freeman-Inglis, head of legal operations at Alliance Pharma simplified the matter further still: ‘Time is the biggest priority,’ he said. ‘…the first metric senior management or the C-suite looks at is time.’
The survey also highlighted the difficulties GCs face in implementing new tech solutions within their legal teams. Almost one third (32%) of respondents said they find it ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to introduce new legal tech, with the same percentage finding the opposite to be true. This is slightly up on last year’s figure of 27%, suggesting that progress is being made but still highlights the need for strong change management plans.
Demonstration of value and ‘early wins’ are the key to winning potential refuseniks within the team over, said Christian Georg, senior legal counsel at Norwegian company Elkem ‘Those who stick with it tend to realise it has real potential for their work.’
‘‘The more you expose lawyers to these tools and encourage them to use them, the more they start thinking, “maybe this isn’t so bad,”’ added Daubenmerkl. ‘These tools are already reshaping the profession.’
The survey also canvassed GCs on matters including their top investment priorities, AI usage and investment. It found that the perception of AI as a reliable legal resource has nearly doubled within the GC community, with 40% of respondents now expressing trust in the technology, compared to 21% last year.
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Further insights, data and analysis can be found in the GC Legal Tech Pulse 2025 report, produced by Legal Business in association with Thomson Reuters. It offers a comprehensive look at how in-house legal teams are embracing technological change, drawing on a survey of over 150 general counsel and senior lawyers. Access the full GC Pulse report here and click here to watch a webinar discussion of the report’s findings.
