Paragon Legal, a leader in flexible legal talent solutions for in-house teams, today announced the release of “The Legal Portfolio Solution: Where Efficiency, Tech, Risk, and Talent Connect,” developed in partnership with Mitratech AdvanceLaw. The new ebook is the second installment in Paragon’s ongoing research series on the evolving in-house legal function.
Drawing on insights from 150 senior legal leaders across industries and company sizes, the report examines how legal departments are addressing converging pressures (such as regulatory change, AI adoption, and persistent talent constraints) by adopting a portfolio model that blends permanent staff, flexible lawyers, ALSPs, targeted outside counsel, and focused AI pilots.
The ebook also features a foreword by Jessica Nguyen, Deputy General Counsel at Docusign, who reflects on the parallels between managing corporate and personal resource constraints and how legal teams can move from “juggling” to “building” smarter systems for sustainable success.
Key findings include:
46% of legal teams are understaffed, even in the face of regulatory uncertainty (37%), AI disruption (88%), and rising outside counsel costs. Traditional resourcing models can’t solve this: high fees push work in-house, but budget constraints prevent hiring the people needed to handle it.
Mixed staffing models are working: 33% of teams credit alternative legal service providers (ALSPs, which include flexible legal talent) for recent wins, 30% are shifting work from big law to cost-effective alternatives, and leaders are building resource portfolios that blend permanent staff with external expertise.
Four key priorities are interconnected: Efficiency (56%), Technology (45%), Risk/Compliance (40%), and Business Alignment (39%) are interdependent. You can’t fix one without addressing the others.
“Legal leaders don’t have the luxury of solving today’s challenges one by one,” said Trista Engel, CEO of Paragon Legal. “This research shows that high performing teams are thinking systemically by using data, technology, and flexible talent to create capacity, manage risk, and prove value without relying on more headcount.”
“What these results highlight is that legal teams aren’t just adapting — they’re architecting,” said Aaron Kotok, Executive Director of Legal Industry Solutions at Mitratech AdvanceLaw. “By treating resourcing as a portfolio, leaders gain the flexibility and precision needed to direct the right work to the right solution, which ultimately strengthens both performance and influence across the business.”
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