Among all the value that law department operations managers bring, it's often easiest to focus on the financial aspect, as the 6th Annual Law Department Operations Survey demonstrates. While that is a critical part of the job, LDO managers often struggle to quantify how they significantly help the organization through other initiatives and activities.

Along with cost containment and control, today's LDO managers also feed into larger corporate initiatives as diverse as information management, cyber security, compliance, business continuity, staff supervision, Sarbanes-Oxley issues, managing IT, change management, C-suite board reporting, contract management, productivity enhancements, regulatory support, risk management and project management.

Other activities often come into play as well, such as global privacy concerns and generalized reporting and analysis of metrics and modelings, as well as bringing together and breaking apart functions as part of M&A activity.

Managing budgets and costs provide critical value. But other functions that may not necessarily turn a profit also are highly productive and create long-term value. LDO managers must keep driving towards these higher purposes in what we do.

Read on for more results and insights into the 6th Annual Law Department Operations Survey, which has been developed once again with InsideCounsel and the Blickstein Group, in consultation with our advisory board members. This survey provides unique insights and benchmarks into how law departments manage their operations functions.