Legal chiefs expect their outside counsel to be proactive in advising and educating them on innovative solutions that would contribute to their company's success, according to a new study by Burford Capital, which provides specialized finance to the legal market.

More than 60% of respondents say that general counsel success can be heightened if they receive guidance from law firm partners about opportunities to add value to the business, the study found.

One of those innovations is legal finance, which entails cash advances to litigants in exchange for a percentage of a judgment or settlement, according to the study, which was based on responses from 300 GCs, heads of litigation and other senior in-house lawyers in the United States and United Kingdom.