Legal Data Analytics is the engine room of modern legal operations. It transforms raw activity, spend, and performance data into actionable insights that empower legal leaders to make informed decisions. With analytics, legal teams move from anecdotal management to evidence-based strategy, enabling them to demonstrate value, optimise resourcing, and align with business priorities.

In a data-driven business environment, legal departments must speak the language of metrics. Analytics provides the visibility needed to track legal service demand, manage external counsel spend, and forecast future needs. It’s not just about dashboards - it’s about enabling smarter prioritisation, predictive planning, and continuous improvement.

Legal analytics also unlocks strategic capabilities such as benchmarking, stakeholder engagement analysis, and contracting performance. These insights allow legal teams to identify inefficiencies, recover value seepage, and tailor services to business needs.

Ultimately, legal data analytics is the difference between a legal team that claims it adds value and one that can prove it. It gives legal the credibility to sit at the decision-making table - because in business, what you can’t measure, you can’t manage.

Legal Data Analytics encompasses the following key components:

◼️Legal Services Request Intake – Capturing structured demand signals from the business.

◼️Spend & E-Billing Analytics – Tracking external counsel costs, benchmarking rates, and forecasting spend.

◼️Contracting Analytics – Analysing negotiation patterns, cycle times, and risk exposures.

◼️Client Feedback & Satisfaction Metrics – Measuring service quality and responsiveness.

◼️Stakeholder Engagement Analysis – Understanding usage patterns and satisfaction trends.

◼️Departmental KPIs – Benchmarking legal team performance against industry standards.

◼️Special Project Resourcing – Identifying capacity for strategic initiatives.

◼️Budgeting Analytics – Forecasting headcount, spend, and technology ROI.

◼️RPLV Decision Framework – Prioritising legal work based on Risk, Productivity, Leakage, and Value.

◼️Central Analytics Platform – Integrating data streams into dashboards and predictive models.

In GLS legal ops, the Data Analytics is considered a "Repeater" resource within legal operations.

A Repeater Resource: Supports multiple legal functions, ensuring that structured legal requests improve contracting, dispute resolution, compliance, and advisory services.

A well-structured Data Analytics enhances legal team productivity, reduces wasted time, and improves service delivery across the organization.

The best practice features of the Legal Data Analytics station are as follows:

◼️A centralised analytics platform integrating intake, spend, and performance data.

◼️Standardised legal service request forms to enable consistent scoping.

◼️E-billing systems with granular spend visibility and benchmarking tools.

◼️Contract lifecycle analytics to identify bottlenecks and risk exposures.

◼️Client feedback loops with measurable service quality indicators.

◼️Stakeholder engagement dashboards to tailor legal support.

◼️Department-level KPIs aligned with business objectives.

◼️RPLV scoring models to prioritise high-impact legal work.

The Legal Data Analytics station delivers the following value to the Business:

◼️Cost Savings – Identifies inefficiencies, leakage, and cost recovery opportunities.

◼️Time Savings – Enables faster decision-making and resource allocation.

◼️Faster Deal Making – Optimises contracting and stakeholder engagement.

◼️Strategic Alignment – Ensures legal services support business priorities.

◼️Credibility – Positions legal as a data-driven partner at the decision-making table.

Legal teams benefit from analytics through:

◼️Enhanced visibility into workload and performance.

◼️Evidence-based resource planning and budgeting.

◼️Improved external counsel management.

◼️Ability to benchmark against peers and industry standards.

◼️Greater influence through measurable value delivery.

◼️Strategic capacity planning for special projects.

◼️Continuous improvement through feedback and metrics.

The Legal Data Analytics station is essential for:

◼️General Counsel

◼️Heads of Legal Operations

◼️Legal Transformation Leads

◼️CFOs and Finance Business Partners

◼️Procurement and Vendor Managers

◼️Business Unit Leaders seeking legal support

A legal team operating without a Legal Data Analytics capability will face a wide range of inefficiencies including:

◼️Inability to demonstrate value or justify budget.

◼️Reactive resource allocation and missed deadlines.

◼️Poor visibility into external counsel spend.

◼️Misalignment with business priorities.

◼️Missed opportunities for cost recovery and risk mitigation.

◼️Inconsistent service quality and stakeholder dissatisfaction.

Legal Data Analytics is a technology-leveraged station. It requires:

◼️A central analytics platform capable of integrating multiple data sources.

◼️E-billing and matter management systems.

◼️Contract lifecycle management tools with analytics capabilities.

◼️Feedback and survey tools for client satisfaction tracking.

◼️Dashboards and visualisation tools for performance reporting.