Deloitte: 58% of GCs Say Outside Counsel "Rarely or Never" Proactively Discusses AI Benefits With Them

Deloitte Legal's AI Imperative report finding that 58% of GCs say their outside counsel rarely or never proactively discusses AI benefits with them is the most actionable data point in this week's BD landscape. In-house teams are projecting 20–40% spend reductions, expecting hourly billing to fall, and building AI programs that reduce reliance on outside counsel — and their law firms are not initiating the conversation. For managing partners and BD leads, this gap is simultaneously a vulnerability and an opportunity: firms that proactively build an AI benefit narrative into existing client relationship conversations are differentiating themselves in a category where the baseline expectation has not yet been met. The conversation framework is concrete: what AI tools are we using on your matters, what are they producing, how does that change the cost or quality of your work, and what do you need from us to make your own AI program more effective?