The “2025 Government Legal Department Report” offers in-depth analyses of the most important issues government legal professionals are facing at a transitional time marked by growing uncertainty and rapid change
Lawyers who work in government — such as district attorneys, public defenders, county and city attorneys — are now operating in an environment rife with challenges that their private-sector counterparts seldom experience to the same degree.
Lean budgets. Outdated technology. Substandard compensation. Overwhelming workloads. Limited resources. Talent shortages. Staff attrition. All these obstacles and more stand in the way of government attorneys doing their best work. And yet, according to the Thomson Reuters Institute’s newly released 2025 Government Legal Department Report, 90% of government legal departments and agencies rate their performance over the past year as either successful or very successful.
For this annual report, we surveyed 150 legal representatives from agencies and departments at all levels of government. Respondents were asked to identify the greatest challenges and issues they expect to face over the next two years, as well as the strategies they are using to address those issues.
Overall, the report paints a picture of dedicated public servants who are trying to do their best under circumstances that are far from ideal. Almost all government attorneys indicated they could use more resources, better technology, a saner work/life balance, and a higher salary, but strong perseverance in the face of adversity appears to have become part of the job description.
Key findings in the report
A chronic talent shortage — As in past years, more than half (52%) of respondents from government legal departments and agencies continue to cite the difficulties of attracting, recruiting, and retaining quality talent as their top challenge.
Outdated technology — Government attorneys also continue to be frustrated with the technology available to them, noting that it is generally inferior to the systems and tools available in the private-sector. However, 42% of respondents said that their government agencies increased their tech spend over the past two years, and four out of five agency representatives said they are confident they have the tools and technology they need to do their jobs properly.
Access to justice — Although more than half of survey respondents said access to justice has remained stable over the past two years, those who thought it had changed were split on whether access has increased or decreased. According to the survey, technology has opened the court system to more citizens, certainly, but a growing disrespect for the law and overworked public defenders also have made it more difficult for those individuals seeking justice.
A variety of solutions
Government agencies and departments are using a variety of strategies to address the issues they face — unfortunately, not all of them are working. Indeed, some of the government’s most persistent problems are so entrenched that it is almost impossible to move the needle on them, the report notes.
On the positive side, many government law agencies are continuing to allow remote and hybrid work, respondents said, with most agencies encouraging staff to be in the office at least a few days a week. Outsourcing work to outside law firms or other legal service providers is another strategy that some agencies use quite frequently, especially at the federal level. And more than half of all respondents said their agencies already have document- and matter-management systems in place as well.
However, many government agencies are not quite as adept at controlling costs or figuring out how to spend less time on administrative tasks, the report states, which may be a problems because almost half (46%) of the survey’s respondents said they expect their workload to increase in the next year.
Another crucial underlying factor outlined in the report is respondents’ concern over how the current administration of Donald J. Trump will ultimately manage its legal workforce — something that has respondents questioning the future of government legal work. Yet, because government attorneys also are dedicated, non-partisan public servants, their priorities remain focused on the job at hand.
And while the 2025 Government Legal Department Report reveals a growing skepticism about the prospects for improvement anytime soon, the data itself indicates that pockets of optimism do exist, and that government attorneys themselves continue to have a great deal of pride and confidence in their work.
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