10 KPIs In-House Legal Teams Must Track 

Are you part of an in-house legal team and looking for ways to measure success? KPIs are a great way to keep track of your legal department’s performance. In this blog post, we will give you a rundown of the key performance indicators that can help you determine how well your in-house legal team is doing. 

Introduction 

Legal departments are a vital component of any organization’s operations. Every day, they are responsible for ensuring compliance with laws and regulations, managing legal risks and disputes, providing advice and guidance, and much more. To ensure the department is meeting its goals and objectives, it is important to measure its performance through key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs enable legal departments to identify areas of improvement and track their progress.  

This listicle will discuss 10 KPIs that in-house legal teams should consider tracking. 

• 1. Incoming Work: The number of new cases received by the legal department can provide insight into its workload. Tracking this KPI (Key Performance Indicator) can help the legal department better manage its resources. 
• 2. Contract Volume: The number of contracts processed by the legal team can indicate how efficiently the department is functioning.  
• 3. Contract Quality: This KPI measures how effective the legal team is at drafting contracts that meet organizational needs and adhere to regulatory requirements. 

• 4. Legal Spend as a Percentage of Revenue: Tracking this KPI helps in-house counsel understand how much money is being devoted to legal activities compared to the company’s overall revenue. 

• 5. Total Cost of Services: This KPI measures how much money is being spent on external counsel and other third-party services related to legal activities. 

• 6. Average Processing Time: This KPI helps in-house counsel understand how long it takes to process cases from start to finish, which can provide insight into areas that may need improvement within the department’s workflow processes or procedures. 

• 7. Compliance with Regulatory Requirements: This KPI measures whether the legal team is adhering to applicable laws and regulations when handling cases or drafting contracts.  

• 8. Risk Management: This KPI measures how effectively the legal team identifies and manages potential risks associated with its activities to minimize their impact. 

• 9. Efficiency and Productivity: Efficiency and productivity are key indicators of success. Measuring the number of cases managed by lawyers, the time it takes to complete a task, and the cost per matter can all help to evaluate the performance of in-house legal teams  

• 10. Legal Technology Literacy: The competent use of technology is a vital part of modern law practice. This can be measured by tracking the legal team’s capabilities to innovate, embrace technology, and deliver greater value to the organization.  

1. Incoming Work 

In-house legal departments are the first line of defense when protecting businesses from legal risks. As such, it is essential for in-house legal teams to monitor the amount of incoming work they receive, as well as its quality. By tracking the volume and quality of incoming legal matters, teams can better manage their workload and ensure that they have enough resources to handle any new tasks. Additionally, this data can give insight into how well the legal department is meeting the organization’s needs and expectations. 

Another key performance indicator (KPI) related to incoming work is cycle time—the amount of time it takes for a legal matter to be completed by the team. This metric can help in-house teams identify any bottlenecks or delays in their process and take steps to streamline their workflow. 

Finally, understanding the total cost of services (outside and inside) can help teams identify where they may be overspending or wasting resources on unnecessary tasks. By tracking these KPIs, organizations can make sure they are getting maximum value from their in-house legal team. 

2. Contract Volume 

Measuring the volume of contracts handled by an in-house legal department is a key performance indicator in gauging the efficiency and productivity of a legal team. By tracking the total number of contracts processed, a legal department can gain insights into the types of contracts regularly requested and the workload demand placed on the team. The total number of contracts also provides insight into the effectiveness of contract review processes, including compliance with regulatory requirements. Tracking this KPI also helps identify any potential bottlenecks that may arise in the contract review process and can help inform ways to improve efficiency. Additionally, measuring contract volume can provide a benchmark for future growth and expansion. 

3. Contract Quality 

To ensure the best and most reliable results, it is essential for in-house legal teams to measure the quality of their contracts. By measuring the quality of each contract, legal departments can determine its value to the business and identify any potential risks involved. 

There are a few KPIs in-house legal teams  can  use to measure contract quality, including: 

• Accuracy: how well written is the contract and does it accurately reflect the agreement between parties? 

• Adherence to Regulatory Requirements: does the contract comply with all applicable laws and regulations? 

• Negotiated Terms: what terms were negotiated between parties, and how do they compare to industry standards? 

• Risk Exposure: what potential risks are included in the contract and what measures have been taken to reduce these risks? 

By monitoring these KPIs, in-house legal teams can ensure that contracts are of high quality and protect their organization from any potential liabilities.  

4. Legal Spend as a Percentage of Revenue 

Legal departments need to measure their operations’ efficiency to ensure they are meeting their goals. One way to measure performance is by tracking legal spending as a percentage of total revenue. This metric can help managers identify areas where money is being wasted and where additional resources might be needed. Additionally, it can provide a benchmark against which other companies’ performance can be compared. 

Organizations can use this metric to assess their legal department’s performance over time and evaluate the effectiveness of new initiatives or processes. For example, if a company has implemented a new compliance program, it can measure whether it has decreased legal costs as a percentage of revenue. The legal spend can be divided into: 

Costs of External Services  

Organizations should consider the cost of external services when measuring legal spending as a percentage of revenue. Comparing your organization’s legal spending against industry averages can provide insight into where it may need to improve its practices or processes to reduce costs and maximize efficiency. Tracking the cost of external services in relation to total revenue can help managers identify cost savings opportunities or areas where additional resources may be needed. Organizations should also consider how their legal spending compares to industry peers by looking at reports from organizations like ACC (Association of Corporate Counsel). Comparing your organization’s legal spending against industry averages can provide insight into where it may need to improve its practices or processes to reduce costs and maximize efficiency. 

Total Cost of Services 

For any in-house legal department, monitoring the total cost of services is a key part of their success. This includes both the internal and external costs associated with the department’s legal matters. Total cost management includes tracking the cost per legal matter and the overall costs associated with the department. It also requires monitoring the legal spending as a percentage of revenue, as well as the average processing time for each matter. This data can be used to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement to provide better service at a lower cost. Additionally, tracking total costs can help identify which outside vendors may be providing more value for money in terms of services rendered. By analyzing total costs, in-house legal departments can make sure they are getting the most out of their budget and remain competitive in an increasingly challenging market. 

5. Average Processing Time 

For any legal department, the average processing time of a contract or file is an important metric to measure. It reflects the team’s performance in terms of meeting deadlines and completing tasks promptly. It also indicates the team’s efficiency and productivity and their ability to manage workloads effectively and take on new projects. 

To calculate the average processing time, the legal department should track how long it takes for contracts and files to move from one stage to another. This could be tracked manually with a spreadsheet or using advanced and smart contract management software like Contra. Contra is an agile contract lifecycle management software and a document automation solution that gives in-house legal teams everything they need to automate and track all contract lifecycle processes in one workspace. It also helps legal teams measure the total number of hours spent working on a contract. 

The legal department should also investigate how long it takes to review legal documents and make sure they meet all regulatory requirements, as well as how long it takes for invoices to be processed and paid. By measuring these metrics, the legal department can identify areas where they need to improve their processes and ensure they are consistently meeting deadlines. Ultimately, measuring average processing time helps legal departments understand their performance and identify areas where they can improve their processes to become more efficient and productive.  

6. Compliance with Regulatory Requirements 

Ensuring that your legal department complies with all relevant laws and regulations is a key performance indicator for any in-house legal team. This KPI can help your department stay up to date on the latest law changes and ensure all your activities are compliant. To track this KPI, you will need to have a process in place to monitor legislative updates, analyze them for implications, and then take any necessary steps to ensure compliance. You will also need to have some sort of system for tracking and reporting compliance successes and failures so that you can improve over time. With an effective system in place, you can ensure that your legal department stays ahead of the curve when it comes to regulatory compliance. 

7. Risk Management 

Risk management for in-house legal teams can often be tricky to navigate. As General Counsel, it is important to ensure you are up to date on the latest regulations and legal trends to ensure your team is managing risk effectively. Here are some key performance indicators (KPIs) to consider when assessing the risk management of your legal team: 

• Number of Contracts: Keeping track of the number of contracts you have in place can help you identify potential risks associated with each agreement.  
• Contract Quality: Evaluate the quality of your contracts to ensure they are compliant with applicable laws and regulations and accurately reflect the business’s needs. 

• Legal Spend as a Percentage of Revenue: Assess the number of resources dedicated to legal services compared to other areas of the business. This will help you determine if you are allocating the right number of resources to risk management activities. 

• Total Cost of Services: Calculate the total cost associated with providing legal services, including staff salaries, overhead costs, etc., and compare it against benchmarks for similar organizations to identify areas for improvement. 

• Average Processing Time: Measure how quickly contracts are being processed internally and compare them against industry standards to determine if there is room for improvement in terms of efficiency and turnaround times. 

8. Litigation Support 

For legal departments, litigation support can be a critical area to monitor. With the right KPIs, organizations can measure the effectiveness of their strategy, staff, and processes. Here are some key performance indicators that can be used to track your success in this area: 

• Number of Cases: Tracking the number of cases that have been resolved can help you understand how successful your legal department is at resolving disputes. 

• Cost Per Case: Measuring the cost of each case gives you a better understanding of your litigation strategy and effectiveness. 

• Time to Resolution: Keeping track of how long it takes to resolve each case is important to ensure that cases are being addressed promptly and efficiently. 

• Outcome: Comparing the outcomes of each case will help you identify trends and learn from past successes or failures. 

• Staff Performance: Measuring staff performance can help you identify areas where your team needs more training or support to become more effective in their roles. 

• Process Efficiency: Keeping track of how efficient your processes are can help you streamline operations and make sure that cases are being handled quickly and efficiently. 

Using litigation management software allows legal teams to seamlessly manage the litigation aspects of each case in one single platform. Your lawyers can track and manage everything related to cases, updates, data, key expenses, and financial risks while receiving alerts for all deadlines so that your team can better anticipate risks and plan for their next steps.  

9. Efficiency and Productivity 

When it comes to the legal department, efficiency and productivity are key indicators of success. Measuring the number of cases managed by lawyers, the time it takes to complete a task, and the cost per matter can all help to evaluate the performance of in-house legal teams. Additionally, tracking compliance with regulatory requirements and risk management can also be beneficial for ongoing operations. Lastly, measuring litigation support and any other services provided by outside counsel can provide further insight into the overall efficiency of the legal department. By utilizing these KPIs, in-house counsel can better understand how their teams are performing and make improvements where needed. 

10. Legal Technology Literacy 

The competent use of technology is a vital part of modern law practice landscape. In-house legal counsels need to be familiar with the wide variety of technologies used in and changing the practice of law today and to understand the expectations law departments, and other legal organizations have about the technological literacy required for future legal leaders. 

 This can be measured by tracking the legal team’s capabilities to innovate, embrace technology, and deliver greater value to the organization. For instance, this can be done by tracking the total number of hours in-house lawyers spend using legal technology solutions, and the time and costs they save thanks to using these solutions.  

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Conclusion 

In-house legal departments are key to the success of any business. With the right KPIs, they can be managed more effectively, enabling them to optimize their performance and keep costs down. The KPIs mentioned in this article are only a few of the many available and should be tailored to each company’s specific needs. 

Incoming Work helps to measure the demand for legal services in your organization, while Contract Volume and Quality help to gauge the effectiveness of your legal team. Legal Spend as a Percentage of Revenue enables you to understand how much you are spending on legal services relative to revenue, while Total Cost of Services provides insight into how much you are paying for those services. 

Average Processing Time allows you to determine how quickly matters are being handled, Compliance with Regulatory Requirements ensures that your team is meeting all relevant laws and regulations, Risk Management tracks any potential risks associated with operations, Litigation Support provides assistance during any disputes, and Efficiency and Productivity enables you to keep track of your team’s performance. 

By utilizing these KPIs, general counsels can gain a better understanding of their in-house legal department’s performance and make more informed decisions about operations. With a bit of creativity, they can also produce other metrics that may be even more useful for their organizations.