The Year Ahead
Global Disputes Forecast 2024
Against a backdrop of economic stagnation and geopolitical conflict, businesses are preparing for a challenging year. Global disputes will continue at pace, according to insights from more than 600 senior lawyers at large corporations, with ESG and employment risks the greatest areas of concern. Our seventh annual report provides detailed analysis of disputes trends, as well as sectoral and region-specific developments, to prepare your organization for The Year Ahead.
The big picture
Wider global trends are influencing the disputes landscape
Economic stagnation
The OECD forecasts global growth to slow to 2.7% in 2024, well below the historical average. Many corporate transactions have been postponed, with some clients now focusing on restructuring opportunities.
Geopolitical conflict
There is continued tension between Russia and NATO, conflict in the Middle East, and competition between China and various Western nations. We are also seeing rising trade protectionism.
AI revolution
2023 was a breakout year for generative AI, with McKinsey forecasting gen AI to add up to USD 4.4 trillion annually to the global economy. AI will improve the way lawyers work – but it will also drive disputes.
Key Issues
Insights by sector & region
Read detailed industry sector and regional analysis in the report
Key resources
Download our full report
Join our webinar series
Download the report to learn more about the key trends and sectoral and region-specific developments to prepare your organization for The Year Ahead.
We invite you to join us for a series of webinars across ESG, employment and cybersecurity that will provide a practical and actionable way forward in 2024.
Author
Claudia Benavides Galvis
Claudia is also a listed arbitrator of the panel of arbitrators of the Center of Arbitration of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá for both, domestic and international arbitration; a listed arbitrator of the Panel of Arbitrators of the Shanghai International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (Shanghai International Arbitration Center); and a listed arbitrator of the Panel of Arbitrators of the Arbitration Court of Amcham Peru.
Claudia is a highly-regarded expert in transnational litigation and international arbitration. She has over 20 years of extensive experience handling complex litigations and arbitrations related to construction and infrastructure projects, post-acquisition disputes, disputes in the energy sector, distribution and supply agreements, unfair competition, product liability, insolvency and general breach of contract. She often advises investors on treaty planning, and leveraging international protections in the context of government interference. She acts for and against state entities, with particular experience in the energy sector and large infrastructure projects.
Claudia has been ranked by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 as an expert in the field of dispute resolution. According to these publications, the group led by Claudia “‘generates absolute confidence’ according to clients who highlight the team’s ‘efficiency, agility and commitment’, ‘broad market knowledge’, and ‘careful follow-up of cases”, pointing that “It is led by the ‘expert’ and ‘deeply involved’ Claudia Benavides whose ‘intelligence, diligence and acuity to foresee legal risks’, make her a stand out legal adviser.” Chambers and Partners Latin America notes that “Claudia Ines Benavides Galvis is praised by interviewees for her “wide knowledge of the area, precision and in-depth background” in the field of dispute resolution.” She has been ranked Band 1 in Chambers & Partners’ individual ranking and in the “Leading Lawyer” listing by The Legal 500. The prestigious publication Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration describes her as one of the world experts in arbitration and Benchmark Litigation featured her in the Top 25 Latam Women in Litigation listing. The team led by Claudia is ranked Tier 1 in the prestigious directory The Legal 500. In addition, she was recently awarded by Best Lawyers 2020 “Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation and recognized by such publication as a leader in Arbitration, International Arbitration and Mediation. In 2021, Claudia was named Litigation Latin American Lawyer of the Year by Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Americas, and she was added to the Lawdragon Global Litigation 500 list, an accolade reserved for lawyers who “know their way around global business battlefields.”
Claudia has been actively involved with academia. She regularly speaks in important national and international conferences and she is the author of several articles related to her practice.
Author
Joanna Ludlam
Joanna has extensive experience in leading complex investigations and pioneering compliance initiatives. She advises clients, including the C-suite, on corporate criminal liability, regulatory compliance, and crisis and reputation management. She also prepares senior executives for appearances at public inquiries and Parliamentary Select Committee hearings. Her expertise in administrative and public law and public procurement law complements her investigations practice.
Joanna co-authored the firm’s Connected Compliance thought leadership, which includes the world’s first global compliance integration benchmarking tool.
Joanna was the winner of the “Compliance Innovator of the Year for Connected Compliance” at the Women in Compliance Awards and the “Admin & Public UK Lawyer of the year” by ACQ5 in 2019. She was one of GIR’s “Top 100 Women in Compliance” in 2018 and “Role Model in the HERoes Women Role Model Lists” in 2019. In 2016, Joanna made The Lawyer’s “Hot 100” and is consistently recognized by Chambers and Legal 500.
Joanna designed the Firm’s innovative Investigations Academy, a comprehensive, state-of-the-art training programme for investigations practitioners within the Firm’s team and clients. She is also a member of the leadership team for BakerWomen, a key Baker McKenzie D&I focus group.
