Each year we analyze hiring trends within the legal niche, including compensation and benefits in order to best serve you. It’s important to us to keep our finger on the pulse so that we continue to understand what law firms and legal technology professionals uniquely want and need and can help you make the best decisions for your law firm or legal technology career. Here are ESP Legal’s 2026 Legal Technology market insights:
Hiring Outlook
In 2026 we have seen an increase in job postings, but overall hiring is somewhat stagnant. Skills-first hiring continues to come to the forefront, which means prioritizing particular technical skills over education or soft skills. We have seen an increase in AI-related searches and AI being added to job titles and job descriptions. While this drives some AI-enthusiasts to apply, it can also deter candidates, particularly experienced ones, who do not have AI skills, or do not want to use AI in their work.
Artificial Intelligence and Gen AI
AI tools continue to impact the hiring process, with candidates using AI to assist in applying, and HR using AI to filter applications.
In a Thomson Reuters survey, 53% of professionals believe their organization is experiencing at least one benefit from AI adoption and 80% feel AI will have a transformational or high impact on their work in the next 5 years. On the flip side, 38% of professionals have ethical concerns regarding the use of AI in their profession and 50% feel demonstratable accuracy of AI-empowered technologies is a barrier to investment. Law firms interested in AI implementation should ensure they have a clear and understandable strategy, a defined system for catching errors, and security protocols in place to ensure employee buy-in and successful ROI on AI adoption.
Benefits Snapshot
Remote work has reached somewhat of a stalemate, with many law firms now requiring 3 or more days per week in the office, and employees wishing for more flexibility and less rigid return-to-office requirements. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shared that there was a 1.5% increase in work-from-home hours last year, despite management efforts to bring workers back into the office. Tech professionals continue to look for remote positions, or if they are required to commute, for compensation in the form of paid onsite parking or a commuter stipend. Flexible schedules that allow employees to avoid peak traffic hours, manage kids’ appointments, events, or school pick-up, a midday workout, or simply hours they prefer, are increasing in value. In fact, Gen Z—perhaps because of the remote learning they endured during the pandemic—are less interested in remote work than they are a flexible schedule.
Benefits Legal Tech Professionals Value Most:
- remote work 3-5 days a week
- low family medical premium costs
- 4 weeks of paid vacation/PTO
- bonuses reflective of strong performance
- 401K with match or profit-sharing contribution
- training and education
- flexible schedule for avoiding traffic if possible
- paid onsite parking
Upskilling via employer-paid training and certification is also highly valued among tech professionals for both their career and compensation trajectory. It’s a win-win for employers, not only improving their current tech teams’ skills, but also increasing employee loyalty, job satisfaction, and retention.
Health care benefits, as always, remain a concern for employers and employees alike as costs rise. Law firms that are able to keep premium costs low while providing good medical coverage will gain an edge in hiring and retention.
Vacation time, sick time, and family leave continue to be valued among legal technology professionals. The culture and manager support of taking PTO is equally important to a strong PTO policy. Legal Tech pros are also seeking strong performance-based bonus pay and good retirement savings programs.
What Does Gen Z Care About?
An NSHSS 2026 Career Interest Survey found that high-achieving high school students, college students, and recent college grads are optimistic about their work futures. Their top priorities are health benefits (72%), PTO benefits (62%), and a flexible work schedule (62%). 66% say that gaining skills and professional development is the most important part of the work experience. Surprisingly, only 49% highly rank base pay when looking for a job, and 21% rank job location as the least important factor.
High Demand and Growth Areas
In the last year, we’ve seen increased demand in the following areas:
- Help Desk and Application Support
- Mid-Level IT Managers
- Cloud Engineers/Architects
- Trainer and User Adoption Specialists
- Security Engineers and Managers
- AI roles and experience
Projected 10-year Tech Growth Rates
The outlook for tech employment looks strong: according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Lightcast, the tech workforce is projected to grow twice as fast as the overall U.S. workforce in the next ten years. In particular, the following jobs are projected to grow well above the average rate:
- Data Scientists & Data Analysts: 420%
- Cybersecurity Analysts & Engineers: 346%
- Software Developers & Engineers: 188%
- CIOS, IT Directors, & Managers: 175%
- Software QA & Testers: 110%
In addition, some positions within technology have unemployment rates below 2%, including Information Security Analyst and IT Manager.
More insights can be found in our 2026 Legal Technology Salary Guide, along with salary ranges for legal technology professionals working at law firms:
