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Expect permanent disruption to cross-border deals, warns report

19 February 2025
Issue: 8105 / Categories: Legal News , International , Legal services , Sanctions , Regulatory
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Cross-border deals are becoming more uncertain, costly and challenging for senior in-house counsel at major multinationals.

That’s the thrust of a report, ‘GeoDisruption: balancing gigawatts, gigabytes and gigapowers’, published this week by Lex Mundi, a membership organisation of 150 law firms. It anticipates that global turmoil will increase and will require earlier, more complex legal advice for boards and management teams.

It identifies three key areas of regulation—sanctions, which can create hidden risks within supply chains and generate litigation; geo-economic risk, which can block or delay deals; and supply chain disclosure rules, which increase compliance costs.

Helena Samaha, CEO and president of Lex Mundi, said: ‘One silver lining may be innovation in technology and AI, but legal teams still need structured, high-value, legal risk management support from their law firms.’  

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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