LexisNexis® CounselLink®
2026 Mid-year Trends Report Special Edition
Outside Counsel Rates Are Rising at Record Levels
Average partner billing rates increased 5.6% in 2026, the highest increase recorded by the LexisNexis® CounselLink® Trends Report since tracking began in 2013. But the headline number is only part of the story.
Download the CounselLink 2026 Mid-year Special Edition Trends Report for new insights into:
- What’s driving partner and associate rate increases
- How legal spend is shifting across law firms of different sizes
- Strategies legal departments can use to better manage outside counsel costs
Get the latest data and insights to help inform your outside counsel strategy.
The analysis includes data on actual invoices paid by corporate legal to outside counsel from January to July 31, 2026, extracted from the CounselLink Insights Benchmarking Database.
