In this edition of our Legal, Compliance & Corporate Secretarial Practice‘s H1 2026 Market Update, we share key hiring trends, compensation insights, and market observations. While hiring activity has become more measured amid ongoing economic uncertainty and tighter headcount controls, demand remains for critical legal and compliance talent. Organisations continue to prioritise strategic hires that support business resilience and navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.
We also explore the growing adoption of AI within legal and compliance teams,
highlighting practical use cases and how organisations are leveraging technology to
enhance efficiency and decision-making.
Legal & Compliance Trends
Within Financial Services
Within Commerce
Within Corporate Secretarial & Legal Support
Use Cases – AI in Legal, Compliance & Corporate Secretarial
As an executive search firm at the forefront of market conversations, AI has undoubtedly emerged as one of the most prominent topics among General Counsels this year. With increasing pressure on legal teams to drive efficiency and deliver greater strategic value, we have seen organisations exploring a growing number of AI-enabled solutions across legal, compliance, and corporate secretarial functions.
Here are some noteworthy use cases that have caught our attention:
Legal Operations & Spend Management
A Financial Institution has partnered with a law firm to implement a legal operations application that streamlines the oversight of external law firms by consolidating fee, invoicing and matter request data into intuitive dashboards and visual reports.
In-House Legal Capability Building
A Hong Kong-based insurer has strengthened its in-house legal capabilities by developing the expertise to structure and execute complex private asset and derivatives transactions across multiple jurisdictions. This strategic investment has enabled the organisation to reduce its reliance on external counsel.
AI-Powered Legal Review & Product Governance
The legal team of a Media Company has incorporated AI into its product approval process. By leveraging company policies and past review outcomes, the AI identifies the appropriate review requirements for new products, improving efficiency and consistency while reducing manual triage efforts.
AI-Enabled Board Governance Support
The legal team of an international telecommunication company released an internally developed AI agent that helps board directors prepare for meetings by reviewing previous minutes and matters discussed previously.
Regulatory Intelligence & Compliance Automation
A regional bank implemented AI to monitor and analyse regulatory developments across multiple jurisdictions. The tool automatically summarises new regulations, maps them against internal policies, and flags potential compliance gaps, significantly reducing manual review efforts.
AI-Driven Financial Crime & Risk Monitoring
A leading international bank deployed AI-powered transaction monitoring tools to analyse customer behaviour and identify potentially suspicious transactions. The solution reduced false-positive alerts, enabling compliance teams to focus their efforts on higher-risk cases and accelerate investigation timelines.
AI-Augmented Board Decision Support
A UK organization has introduced an AI-powered board adviser that analyses board materials and provides governance insights ahead of meetings. The tool helps directors and governance teams navigate increasingly complex information flows.
Download the full report here.
If you are looking to hire or are interested in a career within Legal, Compliance and Corporate Secretarial functions, contact us today at legaljobs@kerryconsulting.com for a confidential discussion.