Association of Corporate Counsel and Exterro Report Shows Legal Technology Is a “Must-Have” for In-House Legal Departments
ACC and Exterro Release 2023 Legal Technology Report: Legal Tech Now a “Must-Have” for 78% of Departments
Washington – The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), in partnership with Exterro, has released the 2023 Legal Technology Report for In-House Legal Professionals. The report highlights a significant shift in the legal industry, with a 15% increase in departments viewing technology as essential compared to just two years ago.
The Evolution of Legal Tech Sophistication
The report uses a five-level maturity model to categorize legal processes, moving from "ad hoc" (Level 1) to "optimized" (Level 5). The 2023 findings show a positive trend, with more companies reaching Levels 3 and 4—indicating structured processes with dedicated budgets and sponsorship.
Key Findings at a Glance
- Technology is No Longer Optional: 78% of respondents call legal tech a “must-have.”
- Purchasing Intent: 38% of organizations plan to buy or upgrade software in the next year.
- Top Use Cases: Beyond contract management, 41% want better tools for privacy and compliance, while 30% are focused on litigation.
- The Interoperability Crisis: The #1 pain point (62%) is the lack of interconnectivity between disparate applications. 43% believe a unified platform is the solution.
- Dominance of Contract Management: Now used by 65% of companies (up 14% from 2021), it has overtaken legal research as the most utilized tool.
Executive Perspectives
“Legal technology adoption continues a dramatic rise... there remains a great deal of variation when it comes to company size and organizational buy-in of how much is being invested.”— Blake Garcia, ACC Senior Director of Business Intelligence
“Macro trends... have put tremendous pressure on internal legal departments, which requires a thoughtful approach to optimizing people, processes, and technology.”— Bobby Balachandran, Founder and CEO of Exterro
About the Organizations
- ACC: A global legal association representing over 45,000 members in 10,000+ organizations across 100 nations.
- Exterro: The exclusive ACC Alliance Partner for e-discovery, privacy, and cybersecurity, providing a unified platform to manage Legal GRC.
