Compliance Top Challenge for Legal Departments in 2018, Say 41 Per Cent of Lawyers Surveyed

TORONTO, Jan. 24, 2018 /CNW/ - In-house counsel are grappling with a growing number of corporate regulations and transactions, a new survey suggests. More than four in 10 lawyers (41 per cent) interviewed by Robert Half Legal cited managing compliance or regulatory matters as the greatest priority for their corporate legal teams in the next 12 months. Mergers and acquisitions ranked second, with 14 per cent of the response.

Lawyers were asked, "Which one of the following areas will be your legal department's top priority in the next 12 months?" Their responses:^*

Compliance or regulation management	41%
Mergers and acquisitions	14%
Risk and crisis management	13%
Data privacy and security	12%
Litigation	8%
General business or commercial law	3%
Something else	4%
Don't know/can't choose just one	6%
	101%

^*Responses do not total 100 per cent due to rounding.

"Staying current with changing government regulations and business mandates will be a chief concern for corporate counsel in the months ahead," said Jamy Sullivan, executive director of Robert Half Legal. "Workloads are expected to increase as legal departments concentrate on ensuring business compliance while assessing market expansion opportunities."

To enhance service levels and gain access to specialized legal expertise, legal departments will assign more resources to full-time teams and hire legal professionals on a project or consulting basis, Sullivan observed. "Companies with a heightened need for experienced legal talent include healthcare, financial services, real estate and technology firms," she added.

About the Survey
The survey was developed by Robert Half Legal and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on 175 telephone interviews of lawyers employed at companies with 1,000 or more employees in Canada and the United States.

About Robert Half Legal
Robert Half Legal is the premier provider of legal staffing and consulting solutions for law firms and corporate legal departments. With North American and global locations, Robert Half Legal provides a customized approach, including managed review, legal project management and eDiscovery services, to help organizations handle constantly changing workloads. The company offers in-demand expertise across practice areas, as well as highly skilled legal professionals on a temporary, project and full-time basis. More information about our full suite of legal staffing and consulting solutions can be found roberthalf.ca/legal. Follow @RobertHalf_CAN and visit blog.roberthalf.ca for workplace news, trends and advice.

SOURCE Robert Half Legal

Natasha Ferraro, 416.350.2330 ext. 62160, [email protected]