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Read the latest Legal Trends Report

AI is changing how legal work gets done, along with the economics, client expectations, and operating models built around it. See what the latest data reveals about where legal practice is heading next.

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The industry’s most comprehensive analysis of legal practice

10+ years of one-of-a-kind legal industry insights

Real-world Clio data with original research, analyzed by data scientists and legal experts.

Tens of thousands of law firms represented

Aggregated, anonymized data shows how firms work, bill, collect, and grow.

Legal professionals + consumers surveyed

See how expectations and work are changing on both sides of the legal experience.

Real firm performance measured over time

Track shifts in revenue, utilization, collection, and other key performance metrics.

Inside the 2026 Legal Trends Report, discover how:

AI is beginning to show up in firm revenue

64% of legal professionals at AI-using firms say AI has positively affected revenue.

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The billable day is making one of its biggest moves in a decade

Utilization is projected to reach 42% in 2026.

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The client journey is moving upstream

46% of consumers would consult AI before contacting a lawyer.

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64% of legal professionals at AI-using firms say AI has had a positive effect on revenue.

That’s up from 36% in 2025. The same pattern appears in observed firm performance. Firms using Clio AI record 8.1% more revenue per responsible lawyer than comparable firms that aren’t using it. That’s equivalent to roughly $1,800 more per responsible lawyer per month.

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Utilization is projected to reach 42% in 2026, about 3.4 hours of an eight-hour day.

In 2016, the average lawyer recorded 28% of the day as billable, or about 2.2 hours. By 2025, that had risen to 39%. If the 2026 projection holds, it would be one of the largest single-year gains in the Legal Trends Report’s decade-long history.

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46% of consumers would consult AI before contacting a lawyer.

AI is increasingly entering the legal journey before a prospective client reaches a lawyer. Nearly one in four U.S. adults (24%) have already used AI to answer a legal question, while another 40% say they would consider doing so.

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See more insights

  • Legal Trends for Solo and Small Law Firms

    See how smaller firms are using AI, improving performance, and adapting their business models.

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  • Legal Trends for Mid-Sized Law Firms

    Explore the trends shaping growth, technology adoption, and operational performance at mid-sized firms.

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  • Compare lawyer rates

    Explore average lawyer rates nationally and by state, or use the latest hourly-rate calculator.

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  • Benchmark your firm

    Compare utilization, realization, collection, lockup, and other measures of law firm performance.

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Get the 2026 Legal Trends Report

Get the data behind the forces reshaping legal work and what they mean for the way firms operate, grow, and serve their clients.

More than a decade of legal trends research

Explore previous reports to see how law firm performance, technology, client expectations, and the business of legal have changed over time.

Legal Trends Report

2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016

 

Legal Trends for Solo and Small Law Firms

2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2021

 

Legal Trends for Mid-Sized Law Firms

2026, 2025, 2024, 2023