One of the questions we’re asked most often at Flex Legal is:
What kind of work are firms and in-house legal teams actually outsourcing?
Is it research? Transactional overflow? Drafting support?
After reviewing our most recent fiscal year (representing hundreds of projects across Canada), some clear patterns emerged about how firms are outsourcing legal work. And those patterns say a great deal about how the modern legal profession really functions.
Litigation Continues to Drive Demand
The biggest takeaway? Litigation still dominates at Flex Legal.
Nearly 40% of all projects involved general civil litigation drafting and strategy (motion materials, factums, briefs, affidavits, trial prep, strategic support, etc.).
When you add employment and labour litigation (18.2%), family law litigation (11.7%), and estate litigation (3.7%), roughly three-quarters of all requests were connected to litigation or adversarial proceedings in some way.
That likely won’t surprise anyone who litigates.
Litigation rarely moves in a straight line. Court deadlines don’t adjust for vacations. Motions cluster. Trials approach at the same time. Urgent matters appear without warning.
Even well-managed firms can suddenly find themselves stretched, not because they lack systems, but because litigation is inherently unpredictable. And unpredictability is often what drives firms toward outsourcing legal work in the first place.
Experienced, Substantive Work
Another notable trend: the work being outsourced isn’t junior-level work.
In addition to litigation drafting, 13% of projects involved research and drafting legal opinions, often on complex or specialized issues.
This is work that requires judgment. It requires lawyers who can step into a file quickly and contribute meaningfully.
There’s a lingering assumption that flexible legal support is primarily for routine tasks. In practice, what we continue to see is quite different. Firms are seeking experienced lawyers who can provide real support during high-pressure periods, without the long-term commitment of permanent hiring.
In many cases, flexibility isn’t about growth. It’s about protecting quality and turnaround times when workloads spike.
Practice Areas Where Pressure Builds Quickly
Outside general civil litigation, as noted above, employment and labour represented 18.2% of our 2025 projects.
That makes sense. Employment files often involve a mix of advisory work and disputes, and timelines can escalate quickly, particularly when investigations or terminations arise.
Family law accounted for 11.7% of projects. Another area where urgency, emotion, and shifting timelines are part of the landscape.
In both practice areas, firms often look for targeted support during peak periods rather than expanding teams permanently. It’s a measured response to variable demand.
Corporate and In-House: Smaller, but Growing
Corporate and in-house matters represented 8.6% of projects, smaller in proportion, but steadily increasing.
In-house teams frequently sought assistance during transitions: parental leaves, major commercial projects, policy reviews, or temporary spikes in business activity.
In those situations, adding short-term capacity allows legal departments to keep pace without permanently increasing headcount. Something many organizations are understandably cautious about.
Supporting Thought Leadership
A smaller but telling category involved legal content drafting (5.3%), which includes articles, blog posts, conference materials, speaking notes, etc.
As more lawyers invest in visibility and thought leadership, balancing client work with non-billable writing and speaking commitments becomes increasingly difficult.
We’ve seen growing interest in behind-the-scenes support that allows lawyers to stay present in their business and brand development without sacrificing their practice.
What This Tells Us About the Profession
Taken together, these trends reinforce something many of us already know: legal workflows are rarely linear.
There are calm periods. And then there are weeks where everything seems to happen at once.
Deadlines converge. Opposing counsel brings unexpected motions. Transactions close simultaneously. Clients need answers immediately.
What stood out most this past year was the consistent demand for experienced, flexible support in areas where timelines and pressure are largely outside a lawyer’s control.
Rather than overextending existing teams or hiring permanently in response to temporary spikes, many firms are turning to outsourcing legal work as a strategic capacity solution.
After more than a decade working alongside firms across Canada, one thing remains clear: busy periods are inevitable, but they are rarely predictable.
The firms that navigate them most effectively are not necessarily the largest. They are the ones who plan for flexibility.
If you’ve noticed similar pressure points within your practice or legal department, it may be worth asking whether building flexible capacity into your model is a reactive solution or a strategic one.
This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
