Procurement & Spend Benchmarks
Brightflag 2026 Outside Counsel Benchmarking Report: team sizes in Litigation and M&A contracting
Brightflag's 2026 Outside Counsel Benchmarking Report shows average team sizes in Litigation and M&A matters have decreased over the past year, driven by greater client scrutiny of staffing efficiency and the growing impact of AI on document review and due diligence.
BY ECONOMICS DESK · JUNE 4, 2026 · 1 MIN READ
Brightflag's 2026 Outside Counsel Benchmarking Report shows average team sizes in Litigation and M&A matters have decreased over the past year, driven by greater client scrutiny of staffing efficiency and the growing impact of AI on document review and due diligence. The report recommends sharing anonymized benchmarking data in quarterly firm relationship reviews as one of the most effective tools for improving firm behavior, giving firms peer-comparison context they cannot obtain independently. Panel reviews conducted every one to two years, using spend and performance data, remain the primary mechanism for concentrating work with high-performing firms and improving commercial terms.
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