BigHand finds client pressure rising faster than pricing adaptability

On October 11, BigHand released its 2026 pricing and budgeting findings from more than 800 law-firm leaders, pricing professionals and finance managers, reporting that 51% saw increased demand for financial transparency, 49% for alternative fee arrangements and 56% for AI-related efficiency or transparency. The vendor-produced study also found that only 23% actively track and update budgets throughout the matter lifecycle and that 29% have changed pricing structures for AI-augmented work. For client teams, the gap is a relationship risk: a firm can promise predictability at pitch stage but still lack the live controls needed to manage scope and explain variance. BD, pricing and matter teams should agree before engagement on reporting cadence, AI treatment and escalation thresholds, then use the resulting delivery data in renewal and panel conversations.