Legal teams boost ERM spend
- Legal leaders are increasing spend on enterprise-risk programs to handle fragmented GRC and AI inefficiencies. (x.com) - Diligent's GC Risk Index found 67% of legal leaders reported higher spending and rated programs 7 out of 10. (x.com) - The survey ties the spending shift to visibility gaps in governance, risk and compliance across organisations. (x.com)
Two-thirds of senior legal leaders say they are increasing spending on enterprise-risk programs because fragmented governance, risk and compliance systems and uneven AI tools hinder oversight. (finance.yahoo.com) The findings come from Diligent Institute’s General Counsel (GC) Risk Index, fielded in March 2026 and based on responses from 147 senior legal leaders. (www.morningstar.com) The survey found 67% of respondents reported spending more time on enterprise-wide risk and compliance than a year ago, and they rated overall organizational risk about 7 out of 10. (finance.yahoo.com) Nearly half of legal leaders said enterprise risk consumes up to 40% of their workload, and about a quarter said it takes up to 60%, figures disclosed when the results were unveiled at Diligent’s Elevate 2026 conference (April 22–24, 2026). (finance.yahoo.com) Respondents blamed “fragmented systems and unclear ownership” for blocking boards and senior management from getting decision‑ready insight, the report quoted Dottie Schindlinger, executive director of the Diligent Institute, as saying. (finance.yahoo.com) On AI, 52% of surveyed legal leaders reported measurable efficiency improvements in the past six months while 48% said AI’s impact “hasn’t fully materialized,” citing lack of embedded tools, unclear KPIs and insufficient governance frameworks. (finance.yahoo.com) The GC Risk Index also lists top risk drivers: geopolitical conflicts (52%), regulatory changes (48%), AI-related risks (39%), and cyber threats (39%), and urges investment in integrated risk data, defined cross-functional accountability, and AI built for governance rather than just efficiency. (www.morningstar.com)
