Actionstep Releases 2026 Australian Midsize Law Firm Priorities Report
February 12, 2026 — Brisbane, Queensland, Australia — Actionstep, a leading provider of cloud-based law firm operations software supporting nearly 5,000 law firms globally, today released its 2026 Australian Midsize Law Firm Priorities Report (Report). Australian midsize law firms in 2026 are highly client-focused and resilient, but face persistent constraints from legacy metrics, fragmented systems, and limited capacity. The sector is prioritising operational alignment and incremental improvements over radical transformation. According to Report data, the opportunity ahead lies in aligning strategy, technology, and people to support client-centric priorities and sustainable performance.
The Report, conducted in partnership with Agile Market Intelligence, captures responses from 400 law firm professionals across Australian midsize law firms (20–300 employees), spanning legal, administrative, operational, and leadership roles.
The research examines how midsize firms are prioritising growth, client experience, technology, and talent as they plan for 2026. Where relevant, results are compared with Actionstep’s 2024 and 2025 Australian Midsize Law Firm Priorities Reports to distinguish between short-term fluctuation and sustained patterns.
“As law firms adapt to changing client expectations and grapple with the fast pace of technology advancements, our research highlights the importance of understanding what truly drives success—whether it’s leveraging the right talent, optimising processes, or utilising technology in ways that align with the firm’s goals. The 2026 results further underscore the importance of aligning strategy, technology, and people to deliver client-centric value, while making practical, incremental improvements rather than pursuing disruptive change,” said Zahn Nel, Regional Vice President, ANZ, Actionstep.
Key findings and takeaways from the 2026 Report include:
Client Satisfaction as the Top Priority: 61% of midsize firms rank client satisfaction as their main strategic focus for 2026, continuing a multi-year upward trend.
Talent Recruitment and Retention Remain Unresolved with 44% of respondents citing recruiting and retaining talent as the most significant challenge, with no material improvement over previous years.
Revenue Growth Strategies: 56% of surveyed firms expect growth from new clients within existing markets, rather than geographic or service-line expansion. Cross-selling and upselling to existing clients (47%) and referrals (36%) are key growth levers.
Workload Challenges: 66% of respondents report workload and time pressure as the most significant barrier to delivering exceptional client experiences.
Technology Adoption and AI: 56% of midsize firms now use generative AI tools, indicating mainstream adoption. However, data privacy (55%), unreliable AI performance (51%), lack of understanding (41%), and compliance risk (38%) remain top barriers to wider adoption.
Cost reduction is the leading driver of technology investment (59%), with efficiency and operational leverage prioritised over experimentation or differentiation. Most firms describe their technology environment as integrated and functional (43%), but only 18% report having a modern and optimised ecosystem.
Operational Metrics Status Quo: Firms continue to rely on traditional financial metrics to measure success. Billable hours (61%), WIP and aged WIP (50%), and revenue per fee earner or matter (45%) are core measurements. Only 12% track more strategic indicators like client lifetime value, matter lifecycle efficiency (11%), or client Net Promoter Score ( less than 8%.)
Daily workflow friction: When asked where tools and systems most frequently create friction in daily work, surveyed law firm professionals cited task and workflow management (33%); billing (31%); document management (29%); time recording (24%); document creation (23%); and technology integrations (22%).
The 2026 Australian Midsize Law Firm Priorities Report is the first release in Actionstep’s 2026 global midsize research series, with additional reports covering the United Kingdom and United States to follow in the coming months.
Complimentary copies of the 2026 Report can be downloaded here.
About Actionstep
Actionstep is the leading law firm management platform for midsize firms around the world. Built to adapt to a firm’s unique strengths and goals, Actionstep empowers firms to modernise operations and build lasting advantages in the legal marketplace. Connected capabilities like client intake, matter management, document management and automation, time tracking, billing, legal accounting, and business reporting, support nearly 50,000 users globally. Learn more and request a demo at www.actionstep.com.
For more information, press inquiries, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Jobst Elster
Envision Agency
+1 (850) 459-4947
