Bellwether 2026: Small and Mid-Sized Firms Rate Client Experience Highly — But Admin Tasks Are the #1 Drag

LexisNexis' Bellwether Report 2026 (published July 22) found 84% of small and mid-sized firms rate their client experience as good or excellent, with only 1% rating it poor. The report identifies the top barriers to delivering that experience at scale: administrative tasks are the #1 workflow issue (52% of respondents), followed by case management (41%) and document drafting and review (28%). Firms with high client experience scores consistently emphasized responsiveness, trust, expertise, and personal service — and diversity of skill, a single point of contact, and a strong culture. For BD teams at small-to-mid firms, the data confirms a structural advantage over BigLaw on the relationship quality dimension — the challenge is not what the experience looks like at the partner level, but whether AI can remove enough administrative friction to sustain that experience as volume grows.