According to the 2012 Carlton Fields Class Action Survey, U.S. corporate legal departments are expecting to handle more class action suits (an average of 5.4 in 2012 vs. 4.4 in 2011) – and are also expecting to spend about 17 percent less than they did last year doing it.

The survey interviewed 322 general counsel, chief legal officers and direct reports to general counsel, and found that the economy is not only driving down expectations on legal spend, but also increasing the importance of implementing risk management strategies to control costs.