2026 Global Outside Counsel Rate Trends
How Law Firm Pricing Power Really Works—and Why Negotiation Alone is No Longer Enough
2026 rate discussions won’t be about whether firms raise rates — they will.
The real question is whether your pricing system is designed to deliberately manage that reality. See how the market is actually behaving — what firms are asking for, where negotiations land, and what separates controlled programs from compounding cost growth.
What You’ll Learn
- Why discounts are giving a false sense of control
US discounts average 16.6% — yet net increases still land at 12.6%. - How aggressive anchoring is reshaping negotiations
Firms are asking +20.4% in the US and +30.9% in the UK before talks even begin. - Where inflation is quietly compounding
Standard-rate resets — not discount percentages — are driving long-term cost growth. - Why moving work “down market” no longer protects you
Mid-tier firms are posting increases comparable to top-tier firms. - Where your real exposure sits
A small subset of senior partners can drive disproportionate spend.
In light of more sophisticated AI tools, “traditional rate hikes don’t just look expensive, they look illogical.”
Jim Delkousis
Founder and CEO