In 2019, legal departments were continuing to find the best ways to implement a legal operations function. In 2020, and in the coming years, there will be a greater focus on giving legal operations a seat at the general counsel’s leadership table and preventative measures, according to experts in the field.

Data shows the function has grown in 2019. According to the Association of Corporate Counsel’s 2020 CLO Survey that will be published in January, 53.8% of corporate law departments keep at least one legal operations professional on staff, consistent with a multiyear upward trend, Catherine Moynihan, executive director of the ACC legal operations, said.