The 2026 Speedy GC Survey is Now Live!

What if speed wasn’t about rushing? Speedy GC 2026 explores how legal leaders remove friction while keeping standards high!

Presented by Counselwell and sponsored by SpotDraft, the Speedy GC Survey is designed to understand what “speed” really means for modern legal teams. Not rushing. Not cutting corners. But removing friction so legal can move quickly while maintaining quality, judgment, and governance.

Speedy GC 2026 takes a clear-eyed look at how in-house legal leaders are actually working today, where time is being lost, why increased budgets aren’t translating into greater capacity, and how high-performing GCs are regaining speed, confidence, and control without compromising rigor.

The research explores four core themes shaping the GC role today:

1. The Speed Trap: Strategic vs. Tactical Work

Despite growing expectations to act as strategic business partners, many GCs remain stuck in tactical firefighting. The survey examines where time is truly being lost, from routine contract work and internal legal questions to outside counsel management and why increased budgets aren’t translating into greater capacity.

2. The AI Competency Gap

AI is everywhere, but meaningful adoption is rare. Speedy GC 2026 reveals how many legal teams are caught between ad-hoc experimentation and stalled pilots, with few feeling confident in their ability to evaluate, govern, or scale AI responsibly.

3. The Human Cost of “Always On”

Beyond efficiency, the survey surfaces the personal and cultural toll of operating at this pace. Findings highlight rising burnout, limited psychological safety in conversations with leadership, and growing attrition risk across legal teams.

4. Internal Friction & the Role of Legal Ops

The research also explores tension between Legal and the business, particularly around perceptions of speed, and the critical role Legal Ops plays in turning speed from a perception problem into a true operating advantage.

Why Your Participation Matters

Your responses help create one of the most honest and practical benchmarks available for in-house legal leadership. The goal isn’t theory. It’s clarity.