PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESS Newswire / July 1, 2025 / LegalBillReview.com, a leader in attorney-led invoice review, in collaboration with In-House Connect, has released findings from its 2025 survey:

'How In-House Teams Are Managing Outside Counsel Spend.'

The data reveals a legal function under growing strain-facing mounting expectations to reduce outside counsel spend, yet lacking the time, infrastructure, and internal alignment to do so effectively.

'Many legal teams know overbilling is happening, but they're stuck without the infrastructure, time, or data to enforce guidelines or track savings,' said Ryan Loro, President of LegalBillReview.com. 'It's a strategic blind spot with serious financial consequences.'

Select Findings:

• Nearly 60% of legal departments reported not having formal Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGs) in place.

• Of those with guidelines, 87% said enforcement is light, addressing only the most egregious issues.

• 50% believe they are being overbilled, but 87% spend four hours or less per month reviewing invoices.

• The most cited barriers to effective review: lack of expertise (31%) and lack of time/resources (30%).

A Widening Gap Between Intent and Execution

Respondents included General Counsel, Legal Operations Directors, Chiefs of Staff, VPs of Compliance, and C-suite executives, representing companies with outside counsel spend ranging from $2 million to over $50 million annually.

Despite an increased focus on cost control, many teams still rely on manual processes like spreadsheets or static workflows to manage billing-leading to inconsistent oversight and missed savings opportunities.

'The findings mirror what our team sees in our work,' said Brian Arbetter, Esq., General Counsel and VP of Law Firm Relations at LegalBillReview.com. 'Even high-functioning teams miss billing errors because they're stretched too thin to enforce policies or dispute questionable charges. Outsourced review is no longer optional-it's an operational necessity.'

Download the Full White Paper

The full report includes:

• Deeper breakdowns by spend level and department size

• Trends in guideline enforcement and invoice oversight

• What in-house teams want most in a bill review partner

• Practical steps legal, ops, and finance leaders can take now

Read the full survey findings and recommendations:
https://www.legalbillreview.com/blog/2025-legal-spend-survey-results

SOURCE: LegalBillReview.com