Despite the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy, corporates nationwide continue to rack up some rather hefty legal bills. In fact, it’s estimated that in 2021, large domestic companies will have spent more than $23 billion on litigation alone, up from $22.8 billion in 2020—this according to Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data.

As legal fees rise, GCs across the country are being asked to reduce costs. Yet this is a real challenge, especially with first-year associate salaries now exceeding $200,000 at many of the nation’s largest law firms (an amount that only increases as associates ascend to more senior status), not to mention the anticipated uptick in both litigation and corporate transactions coming out of the pandemic.