The Year Ahead: Global Disputes Forecast 2022

As you embark on the year ahead, understanding the global outlook for disputes can make a pivotal difference for your organization.

The impact of COVID and the resulting economic disruption have triggered a wave of corporate disputes. Cybersecurity concerns and the growing focus on ESG are also pushing new cases to the courts. Finding the right support to address these key trends can help you to be prepared and manage risk — anywhere in the world.

Our fifth annual report, The Year Ahead: Global Disputes Forecast 2022 addresses key trends in the disputes landscape around the globe. The report includes a new survey of senior lawyers at large companies across the world, and the results reveal that:

• COVID-19 is the biggest external factor driving disputes. 48% of respondents cite it as a top issue in increasing their organization's exposure to disputes.
• The types of disputes presenting the greatest risk are cybersecurity/data and ESG. 72% of respondents consider cybersecurity/data disputes to present a risk to their organization in 2022. 67% say that ESG disputes present a risk.
• 82% of respondents express concern about the risk of an external investigation from regulators or law enforcement agencies this year.
• The average organization in our survey spent USD 48 million last year on disputes (including settlements, judgments, awards and legal costs) — an average of 1.0% of turnover.
• Only 35% of respondents express high confidence in their organization's level of preparedness for litigation.
• Only 33% of respondents have a high degree of confidence in finding the right services for litigation or arbitration support.

Global Disputes Forecast Webinar Series

In addition to the report, we ran a series of webinars to discuss the report findings and provide an actionable way forward in 2022. All recordings and materials can be found below:

• 26 January 2022 | Litigation Preparedness | Recording | Presentation
• 2 February 2022 | Environmental, Social & Governance | Recording | Presentation
• 9 February 2022 | Digital Transformation | Recording | Presentation
• 16 February 2022 | Healthcare & Life Sciences | Recording | Presentation