A new survey conducted by Norstat, on behalf of the law firm Synch, shows a growing gap between Swedish companies’ ongoing need for legal decision-support and how legal support works in practice. In response, Synch has developed a new Managed Services offering and method: Synch Embedded.
Swedish companies are operating in a business environment where decision windows are becoming shorter, regulatory frameworks are expanding and the pace of change is accelerating. The ability to make fast and well-informed decisions has become a competitive issue. At the same time, the way legal support is organised today in many businesses has, in practice, remained largely unchanged.
A new survey conducted by Norstat shows the growing gap between how companies legal capabilities need to operate and how legal support actually functions.
The survey shows that 3 out of 10 general counsels believe that a lack of legal resources has slowed down their business pace over the past year. At the same time, 6 out of 10 say they do not have sufficient legal expertise and resources in-house. But the picture is more complex than a pure resourcing issue – it is not solely a lack of legal capacity.
-The problem is rarely just a lack of capacity. It is rather that legal support is being positioned outside the ongoing decision-making process. When support is brought in as isolated interventions, a gap emerges that makes decisions slower and sometimes less anchored in the business. Legal support creates the most value when it is close to the business, already when strategic choices are being made, says Sara Edlund, Head of Managed Services at Synch.
Continuous need — episodic use
The survey shows that legal needs are increasingly continuous or recurring. Six in ten companies say they have this type of need, rather than only requiring legal support for isolated matters. Legal support is still often used reactively and on a case-by-case basis. This can create friction in organisations where most decisions are made continuously, often under time pressure and in close collaboration across functions.
-Responding to this development is not only about adding more legal resources, but about how legal support is organised so that it can contribute in step with the business. When legal comes in too late, the result is often longer lead times and more cautious decisions, says Jim Runsten, CEO of Synch.
From legal correctness to value-creating support
Companies’ expectations of legal support are changing. It is no longer only about ensuring legal correctness, but about contributing to priorities, strategic choices and execution. The survey shows
that when companies choose a legal partner, 41% identify specialist expertise in regulatory compliance as the most important factor, while 25% highlight business understanding as most crucial.
This development points to a broader role for legal — moving away from a control function to a more integrated part of how decisions are made and business is driven forward.
- Companies need legal support that helps them prioritise, weigh risks and move forward. Legal creates value only when it influences decisions at the right stage. Otherwise, even highly qualified advice risks arriving too late to make a real difference,” says Sara Edlund.
A new way to organise legal support
To meet these needs, a shift is required from a fragmented and reactive model to a more cohesive delivery where: recurring operational work is handled in a structured and efficient manner, business-aligned support enables prioritization and timely decisions; and strategic transformation initiatives receive the right level of expertise and direction.
Synch has seen these needs develop and is now launching Synch Embedded — a Managed Services offering for companies that require more continuous, business-oriented and structured legal support. Synch Embedded is built for situations where legal issues recur over time and need to be managed close to the business’ priorities, decisions and execution. The offering combines ongoing legal capacity with access to specialist expertise and can move seamlessly between operational work and strategic value creation, making it possible to address recurring matters as well as more complex regulatory and business-critical challenges within the same structure.
Through a team of business lawyers and specialists, supported by a structured delivery model, Synch Embedded provides both continuity and flexibility. The aim is to reduce dependence on individual resources, improve prioritisation and ensure that the business receives legal support at the right time.
-The direction is clear: legal support needs to become more agile, more integrated and smarter. It should be part of how business moves forward – not just something that is brought in when the issue has already become complex, Jim Runsten concludes.
For more information, please contact:
Sara Edlund, Head of Managed Services, sara.edlund@synch.law, +46 (0)76 176 19 33
Press contact:
Angelica Stebrant, angelica.stebrant@plus1.se, +46 (0)70 230 31 43
About the survey
The survey was conducted during March/April 2026 by Norstat, on behalf of Synch, through telephone interviews with 100 decision-makers in Swedish companies. The target group included senior decision-makers such as CEOs, CFOs and general counsels in small to medium-sized companies and selected listed companies. The study was conducted across industries, excluding state and public sector organisations.
About Synch
Synch was founded in 2014 and is a business law firm with a clear focus on innovation and technology. The firm strives to ensure that legal services are well adapted to the development and needs of businesses. With specialist expertise, packaged solutions and efficient use of technology, Synch simplifies the handling of legal matters and can thereby work closely with its customers and clients, whether they are large established companies or fast-growing start-ups. Synch is part of AGRD partners. www.synch.law
