What clients expect from law firms
An Iberian Lawyer survey examines what sustains the relationship between companies and their external advisers and what can put it at risk. Technical quality and understanding of the business top the list of priorities when choosing a firm, while billing and transparency around artificial intelligence are among the areas attracting the greatest scrutiny
by ilaria iaquinta
For a general counsel, choosing a law firm means deciding what legal work to outsource and who to entrust it to. A range of factors shape that decision, including the team’s specialist expertise and its ability to understand the context in which the advice will be applied. From there, the relationship is built day by day through availability and communication and sustained by delivering what was agreed and providing advice that is genuinely useful. But what matters most when appointing a firm? How is work allocated? Why do clients stop using a particular firm? And when legal advice involves artificial intelligence tools, what information do clients expect to receive about their use? To explore these questions, Iberian Lawyer conducted its GC Expectations Survey 2026, gathering more than 70 responses over the summer from heads of legal and general counsel at companies across the Iberian Peninsula. The sample spans companies of different sizes: 68.7% of respondents work for organisations with more than 1,000 employees, while the remainder are split between companies with 251 to 1,000 employees (13.4%), 51 to 250 (14.9%) and up to 50 employees (3%). In terms of legal team size, the largest group has between one and five in-house lawyers (39.4%); 15.2% have between six and ten, and 18.2% between 11 and 20. Departments with between 21 and 50 lawyers account for 9.1%, while a further 18.2% have more than 50.
A HANDFUL OF FIRMS WIN MOST OF THE WORK
A company’s regular roster of advisers and the smaller group entrusted with most of its work are not always the same. Some 48.5% of respondents regularly work with between one and five law firms, while 28.8% use between six and ten. Some maintain broader rosters, but most mandates and external legal spend are concentrated among a relatively small number of firms. Some 58.2% say that between one and three firms account for the bulk of the work, while a further 25.4% put that number at between four and five. Overall, 83.6% concentrate most of their work among no more than five firms. For law firms, then, being on a client’s roster does not necessarily mean securing the lion’s share of the work, what matters is the position they occupy within that roster and the particular needs for which the client turns to them.
The way firms are selected also varies. Some 38.8% of respondents use a formal panel and 20.9% an informal one. A further 37.3% choose firms according to the matter, while the remainder describe other arrangements. Nor are rosters always reviewed according to a fixed timetable. Some 29.9% review them only when a specific need arises, while 19.4% have no periodic review process. A quarter, 25.4%, carry out an annual review and 19.4% do so every two or three years; the remainder do not operate a formal panel or roster.
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