Counter the Legal Visibility Gap

Although legal teams work for the business, they receive limited recognition leading to a legal visibility gap. The problem is that, since information is typically fragmented and not easily accessible, much legal activity remains hidden, writes Marija Barbarich of LawVu.

Legal outcomes such as deals, deadlines met, and regulatory filings are visible, but the legal effort that enables them happens out of sight. Negotiations, clause reviews, approvals, and document execution represent legal work, yet stakeholders see only the final result. As a result, legal’s contribution appears smaller than it is.

The data points to a structural problem. Thomson Reuters’ 2026 State of the Corporate Law Department Report found a disconnect between how general counsel and C-suite executives view legal’s contribution to organizational objectives. IDC research found that only one in five business leaders consider legal highly effective at supporting business objectives. Business leaders say they bypass legal when they can’t determine the status of a request or matter, a behavior that may increase risk.

According to the Thomas Reuters report, only 41% of legal teams have comprehensive operational data, whereas 53% say their data is too difficult to compile because it spans multiple systems. However, connecting intake, matters, contracts, and spend provides a foundation rather than adding another reporting layer.

From there, visibility becomes a capability rather than a reporting task. Stakeholders should be able to check status without asking legal, executives should receive updates from live information, and reporting should connect legal activity to business outcomes instead of just enumerating completed tasks. 

Barbarich argues that legal teams do not close the visibility gap by working harder or producing more reports. They close it by making information available so the business can access legal’s contribution continuously rather than through periodic reports.