Fifth Third, Bayer and Progressive legal leaders expect outside counsel to use AI

On October 23, 2026, Law360 reported that legal leaders from Fifth Third Bank, Bayer and Progressive Insurance said during a panel that they expect outside counsel to use AI. The accessible report summary did not establish that the expectation had been written into panel guidelines, engagement terms or fee arrangements. Even so, the named-client signal shifts AI capability from an innovation credential toward a procurement assumption. Firms should equip relationship partners with evidence of governed use, workflow-level results and client-specific controls before the next review rather than relying on a general technology narrative.