Seventy-five percent of companies have increased the headcount of their legal departments over the past 12 months, according to a confidential Legal Director poll of corporate heads of legal.

Fifty percent of the respondents are also looking to increase their numbers further over the next 12 months. In last year’s poll, the respective figures were 25% and 40%, indicating that the prognosis was unduly negative last year and that expectations have been generally exceeded.