Key Takeaways:

1. Robust demand for legal professionals in private equity, M&A, corporate governance, healthcare, and regulated industries, especially in the U.S., EMEA, and APAC.
2. The expanding role of the General Counsel and Deputy GC, with succession planning and operational upskilling as top priorities.
3. Growing need for tech-fluent, AI-literate legal talent as digital transformation accelerates, and AI reshapes legal workflows.
4. Regional hotspots for biotech, life sciences, fintech, and regulatory hiring, with notable trends in Boston, the Bay Area, London, and Singapore.
5. The continued rise of alternative legal service providers as a flexible, cost-effective solution, especially in response to economic uncertainty and evolving business needs.
6. Legal operations hiring gaining momentum globally, driven by the need for efficiency, cost control, and AI integration.
7. Candidate priorities shifting toward stability, flexibility, and career development, with hybrid work remaining the norm in many markets.  

Major, Lindsey & Africa’s In-House Counsel Recruiting and Interim Legal Talent groups closed out the year seeing strong hiring across most industries. As AI reshapes legal workflows, demand for tech-fluent and niche legal talent is rising, while legal teams are evolving into strategic business partners.