In-house legal departments focused largely on resource management and cost optimization in 2020, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report published by HBR Consulting on Thursday.

“COVID has really prioritized [cost savings] among law department leaders and created an environment where law departments have to act,” Lauren Chung, a practice group leader at HBR Consulting in New York, said. “It’s not just a nice to do, it’s almost a mandate to make a change in response to what’s happening more broadly in the organization.”