Paragon Legal’s new Outside In study asked 264 business leaders and 211 in-house lawyers the same questions about legal department value, then lined up the answers. 65% of the business calls legal a trusted advisor. Only 6% call it a business leader or strategic partner. And while 74% of legal leaders think the business’s view of them improved over two years, just 27% of business leaders agree.
The gap that bites is speed. The business scores legal 3.7 out of 5; legal gives itself a 4.1. Speed is also what separates teams called enablers from teams called blockers. It is the same story as the GC versus C-suite value gap we covered this week. For a general counsel or chief legal officer, the fix is unglamorous (pick up the phone, answer faster), and it is also the path to becoming a general counsel who gets a real seat at the table.
“Trust is built on access and business fluency. Business leaders say the traits that earn trust are being reachable (65%), understanding the business’s goals (63%), responding fast (56%), and following through (55%).”
Read: Outside In: How Business Really Sees Legal in 2026 at Paragon Legal