5 Key Takeaways from the 2023 ACC Legal Technology Report

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and Exterro partnered to produce the 2023 Legal Technology Report for In-House Legal Professionals, based on responses from 252 legal professionals across 22 countries. The report examines the types of legal technology organizations are using, their effectiveness, purchasing behavior, and the key challenges faced by in-house legal teams.

The findings highlight several important trends shaping the legal technology landscape.

Key Takeaway #1: Legal technology is now a must-have

• 78% of respondents say legal technology is essential for in-house legal departments—an increase of 15% over two years.
• 100% of highly optimized departments consider legal technology a must-have.

With increasing workloads, growing data volumes, expanding data sources, and evolving regulatory requirements, it is no longer feasible to operate efficiently without technology.

Key Takeaway #2: Legal processes are becoming more structured and sophisticated

Legal departments are progressing toward greater maturity:

• More organizations now operate at level three (defined) or level four (managed)
• Fewer remain at level one (ad hoc) or level two (repeatable)

This shift reflects increased investment in structure, resources, and process standardization.

Key Takeaway #3: Optimized departments invest more in technology

• 38% of respondents plan to purchase or upgrade legal software within the next year
• 64% of highly optimized departments intend to invest further in technology
• Only 23% of less mature (ad hoc) departments plan similar investments

Top areas of investment include:

• Contract management
• Matter management
• Document repositories

Key Takeaway #4: Expanding use cases for legal technology

Adoption is increasing across multiple areas:

• Contract management (+15%)
• Legal hold (+13%)
• Matter management (+9%)
• Data collection and processing (+8%)

Despite this growth, legal teams are still looking to expand technology usage in:

• Contracts
• Privacy and compliance
• Litigation
• Cybersecurity and data breach response

Key Takeaway #5: Interoperability is the biggest challenge

The top challenge identified by legal teams is the lack of integration between tools:

• 62% cite poor interoperability as their biggest issue
• 43% believe a unified platform would reduce these challenges

Other common pain points include:

• Multiple user interfaces
• Lack of intuitive design
• Manual processes within systems
• Limited IT support

Final Thought

The report makes one thing clear: legal departments are rapidly evolving, and technology is at the center of that transformation.

However, success is no longer just about adopting tools—it’s about integrating them into a cohesive, unified ecosystem that enables efficiency, scalability, and better decision-making.

For deeper insights, downloading the full report is highly recommended.

‍