Benchmarking and Research Data

2026 ACC Chief Legal Officers Survey

January 27, 2026

By Association of Corporate Counsel

Coming Soon!

In the 2026 legal landscape, the fundamental shift in the Chief Legal Officer (CLO) role from a specialized legal advisor to an essential business strategist and technology leader continues to accelerate. This is evident in the findings from ACC's global flagship survey of 1,049 CLOs across 43 countries, which provide a comprehensive view of how legal leaders are navigating a global environment marked by geopolitical fluctuation and the rapid ascent of artificial intelligence. Amid these and other disruptions, CLOs have been stalwarts of enterprise resilience, balancing a dual mandate of driving strategic growth while managing increasingly sophisticated risks.

The survey covers the CLO role and executive influence, skills development, legal technology and AI, and regulatory environment, among other topics.

Additionally, we offer a suite of regional supplements that compare the results of CLOs in the following regions to the global findings, highlighting the key differences and similarities to help CLOs in these jurisdictions benchmark their roles, priorities, and strategies against global trends.

WEBINAR

The 2026 CLO Agenda: Insights from the 2026 Global CLO Survey

Thu, Feb 19, 2026 – 11AM EST

Region: Global

The information in any resource collected in this virtual library should not be construed as legal advice or legal opinion on specific facts and should not be considered representative of the views of its authors, its sponsors, and/or ACC. These resources are not intended as a definitive statement on the subject addressed. Rather, they are intended to serve as a tool providing practical advice and references for the busy in-house practitioner and other readers.