Axiom shows value-based budgeting moving into mainstream legal buying

Axiom’s 2026 Legal Budgeting Report says 29 percent of legal departments have adopted outcome-driven or value-based budgeting models and nearly half are evolving toward them. It also reports that 78 percent of legal budget decision-makers are expected to implement legal AI without dedicated funding, while 68 percent would switch from law firms to ALSPs at 30 percent or less cost savings. This is a direct warning to firms: clients are not only asking for efficiency; they are reallocating work based on value evidence, budget maturity and alternative delivery options.