Aon | Professional Services Practice
Aon Global Risk Management Survey 2025: Comparing Law Firms to All Professional Service Firms
Release Date: January 2026The tenth edition of Aon’s Global Risk Management Survey 2025 provides organizations with key risk-related insights to help them make informed decisions and compete in an increasingly risk-complex business environment. Comparing the GRMS findings for law firms with those for all other professional service firms sheds light on the distinct risk environment law firms face, highlighting both shared challenges and unique segment-specific concerns and issues.
Key Takeaways
- The prominence of cyber and AI in both current and future risks highlights the need for robust cybersecurity and data protection strategies and the sector-wide importance of the AI technological transformation, both as an opportunity and as a source of operational, ethical, liability and reputational risk.
- Talent and human capital challenges are intensifying, especially for law firms. Failure to Attract or Retain Top Talent is the second current risk for both, but law firms also rate Inadequate Succession Planning as a top ten current risk.
- Both the law firm and other professional service firm results reflect the distinctive operating models and regulatory environments of the sector, with law firms uniquely placing Conduct Risk/Unethical Behavior and Disruptive Technologies as top ten current risks.
The full survey, conducted in 11 languages, captured responses from 2,941 decision-makers across 63 countries and territories and 16 key industries, encompassing companies of all sizes, both public and private.
The Professional Service Practice at Aon previously compared the global and professional service firm results of GRMS 2025.
Comparing and Contrasting Top Risks:
Law Firms vs. All Professional Service Firms
Top Ten Current Risks
- Cyber Attacks/Data Breach
- Failure to Attract or Retain Top Talent
- Damage to Reputation/Brand
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Failure to Innovate/Meet Customer Needs
- Conduct Risk/Unethical Behavior
- Economic Slowdown/Slow Recovery
- Increasing Competition
- Inadequate Succession Planning
- Disruptive Technologies
- Cyber Attacks/Data Breach
- Failure to Attract or Retain Top Talent
- Damage to Reputation/Brand
- Economic Slowdown/Slow Recovery
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Regulatory/Legislative Changes
- Failure to Innovate/Meet Customer Needs
- Increasing Competition
- Business Interruption
- Data Privacy (incl. GDPR) Requirements / Non-Compliance
Comparison:
- Both rank Cyber Attacks/Data Breach as their top risk, emphasizing the universal threat posed by cybercrime and the vital importance of IT and data security.
- Talent and human capital risk is a high priority for both, but law firms additionally highlight succession planning as a distinct concern, reflecting the importance of leadership transition in legal practices.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Failure to Innovate/Meet Customer Needs are prominent in both lists, indicating that technological transformation and client expectations are rapidly and profoundly reshaping service delivery across professional services.
- Law firms rank Conduct Risk/Unethical Behavior sixth, underlining the regulation of lawyer’s professional conduct and the sector’s keen sensitivity to reputational issues.
- All professional service firms more often emphasize regulatory changes, business interruption, and data privacy, showing their exposure to compliance and operational risks across a wide range of contexts.
- Disruptive Technologies is ranked tenth by law firms, reflecting the risks posed by changes to traditional practice models, processes and tools.
Top Five Future Risks
- Cyber Attacks/Data Breach
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Failure to Attract or Retain Top Talent
- Increasing Competition
- Disruptive Technologies
- Cyber Attacks/Data Breach
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Economic Slowdown/Slow Recovery
- Failure to Attract or Retain Top Talent
- Increasing Competition
Comparison:
- Both rankings anticipate cyber risk and AI as their top future threats, highlighting the challenges of defending against cybercrime and successfully harnessing technology for competitive advantage.
- Talent attraction and retention are expected to remain crucial, with law firms placing even greater emphasis on this risk in the context of generational transition and change and the vital need for specialized expertise.
- Law firms foresee disruptive technologies to continue as a top risk, as AI and other transformative technologies change the way legal services are delivered and priced. All professional service firms are more concerned about economic slowdown due to the sector’s exposure to market cycles.
- Increasing competition is a concern across the entire sector.
Conclusion
While cybersecurity and competition are universal concerns for professional services firms, law firms face pronounced risks around talent and human capital, technology disruption and reputation. The growing importance of AI and digital innovation requires law firm leaders to proactively manage change, invest in talent, and safeguard reputation.
About Aon
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