In 2012, legal departments spent more on outside counsel costs than on external expenses or non-law firm vendors, according to Altman Weil's 2012 Chief Legal Officer Survey. So perhaps it's not surprising that they've sought out ways to cut external costs, from shifting work in-house to negotiating deals with service providers. See the following charts for additional survey results, and for more tips on cutting external costs, be sure to read “Strategies for leaner legal departments: Part 2.”