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FLEX Practice Area Demand in the First Half of 2026 Shows Tech Transactions Pulling Further Ahead

practice area demand 2026

In the first half of 2026, FLEX tracked client demand across a broad range of engagements, and the data shows a sharper concentration in a handful of practice areas than we saw in 2025. For in-house legal teams weighing where to spend limited budget on interim counsel, the shift points to where competition for talent is likely to be strongest for the rest of the year. 

Below, we break down what changed, using FLEX's engagement data from January through June 2026 compared with 2025 figures. 

1. Tech Transactions Extends Its Lead 

Tech transactions made up about 52 percent of total demand in the first half of 2026, up from 44 percent for 2025. Within the category, outbound commercial and SaaS work continued to represent the largest single skill set, at about a third of tech transactions demand, followed closely by commercial generalist work. Hardware-related contracting remained steady, which is consistent with continued demand from companies with physical products or complex supply chains. Inbound procurement and fintech-specific transactional work rounded out the remainder. Requests in this category came from a broad mix of clients, including hardware manufacturers, aerospace and robotics startups, and climate and energy technology companies. 

2. Product Counsel Gains Ground, With AI Driving Much of the Increase 

Product counsel work grew about 3 percent between 2025 and the first half of 2026. General product counseling remained the largest skill set within the category, at just over half of product counsel demand, but AI-specific product work accounted for roughly 27 percent, a meaningful share for a skill set that was not tracked as its own line two years ago. Marketing and advertising counsel made up about 15 percent, which is consistent with prior years. Clients in this category included large social media and marketplace platforms, enterprise AI and data companies, consumer fintech providers, and digital health companies. 

3. Corporate and Life Sciences Pull Back 

Corporate work slipped between 2025 and 2026 with some signs that demand will rise in the second half of the year. General corporate governance work and M&A each remained active, making up nearly three fourths of the corporate work overall. Clients ranged from venture capital firms to fintech and payments companies to scaling technology startups in AI, gaming, and logistics. 

Life sciences demand also fell in 2026. Licensing work made up the large majority of that demand, with clients including biotech and biopharma companies and life sciences software providers. The category is small enough overall that a single client's staffing decision can move the percentage meaningfully, so this decline is worth watching rather than treating as settled. 

4. Privacy Shrinks in Volume but Converts at the Highest Rate 

Privacy engagements dropped slightly in 2026. Despite the smaller volume, privacy roles were filled at the highest rate of any major category. General privacy counseling made up the majority of privacy demand, and health-privacy work made up most of the remainder. Clients included enterprise AI companies, large social media platforms, biotech companies, and mobility providers. 

5. Smaller Categories Hold Roughly Steady 

Employment, compliance, intellectual property (IP), and litigation together made up a small share of overall demand, and each category's share moved by no more than a percentage point or two from 2025. 

6. What the Trend Suggests 

Read together, the first-half data points to further consolidation of in-house interim-counsel demand around technology-facing work. That direction is consistent with what FLEX saw across all of 2025, but the pace has picked up with the busiest months in 2026 exceeding those in 2025.  

Practical Takeaways 

  • Legal departments hiring for tech transactions or AI-related product counsel should expect more competition for qualified interim candidates, since these two categories accounted for more than two-thirds of the tracked demand in the first half of 2026. 
  • Departments with privacy needs may find that a smaller applicant pool still converts to a placement faster, based on FLEX's fill-rate data. 
  • While a decline in demand could eventually lead to fewer interim attorney candidates in corporate and life sciences, FLEX maintains a strong bench of attorneys with experience in these practice areas, ensuring that we continue to have qualified options available to meet our clients’ needs. 

 

For more information on how FLEX can support your organization, please contact us here or reach out to your FLEX representative. 

This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.