New Paragon Legal Research Reveals Opportunity for Greater Business Alignment: 74% of Legal Leaders See Improving Perceptions, Compared with 27% of Business Leaders

Outside In: How Business Really Sees Legal in 2026 offers a side-by-side look at how legal teams assess their own performance and how their business colleagues perceive them.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Paragon Legal, a leader in flexible legal talent solutions for in-house teams, today released Outside In: How Business Really Sees Legal in 2026, a new research report based on two complementary surveys of 264 non-legal business leaders and 211 in-house legal professionals.

Key findings from Paragon Legal's research include:

• 65% of business leaders describe Legal as a "trusted advisor," while 6% identify Legal as a "business leader or strategic partner," highlighting an opportunity to build on that established trust. Legal leaders, by contrast, believe their CEO sees them as a business leader 32% of the time.
• Business leaders and legal leaders agree closely on strategic input (both 4.0 out of 5.0) and approachability (4.0 vs. 4.1). Speed presents an opportunity for greater alignment: business leaders rate Legal 3.7, while legal leaders rate their own teams 4.1. Teams seen as enablers are rated 3.9 on speed, compared with 2.9 for those seen as blockers.
• 74% of legal leaders say the business's view of them has improved over the past two years. Among business leaders, 27% report an improved view, while 69% say their perception has remained consistent.
• 52% of business leaders involve Legal only when required, and 31% bring it in at the start.
• 42% of business leaders have moved ahead without Legal. Among those respondents, 71% said they did not believe Legal's input was needed, while 42% said Legal had already equipped them with the tools to make the decision. Only 29% cited speed as a reason.
• The traits business leaders say earn their trust are being easy to reach (65%), understanding business goals (63%), responding fast (56%), and following through (55%).
• The percentage of legal teams tracking their influence on business outcomes increased from 16% in 2025 to 41% in 2026.

The research also highlights the growing role of flexible legal talent in legal departments' broader resourcing strategies. Among surveyed legal professionals, 93% report that their teams use flexible legal talent, while 80% expect to increase their use, up from 69% last year.

"Legal teams have earned the trust of their business partners, and our research shows just how strong that foundation is," said Trista Engel, CEO of Paragon Legal. "The opportunity now is to turn that trust into even greater strategic impact by strengthening collaboration, increasing visibility, and connecting Legal's contributions to the business outcomes that matter most."

The report closes with questions legal teams can use to spark more productive conversations with their business colleagues and identify opportunities for greater alignment.

Featured perspectives throughout the report include legal leaders from TopBuild, Spotless Brands, GE Vernova, Intrinsic, and The New Yorker, among others.

Outside In: How Business Really Sees Legal in 2026 is available for free download at: https://paragonlegal.com/insights/outside-in-how-business-really-sees-legal-in-2026/

About Paragon Legal

Paragon Legal provides legal departments at leading corporations with high-quality, flexible legal talent to help them meet changing workload demands. At the same time, Paragon offers talented attorneys and legal professionals a flexible alternative to the traditional legal career path, empowering them to achieve both professional and personal goals. Learn more at www.paragonlegal.com.

SOURCE Paragon Legal