We’re back again with our annual list of the top legal topics of 2025 that will shape the industry over the next twelve months. Every year, legal trends shift in response to new regulations, economic forces, and societal changes. While all areas of law remain essential, certain practice areas are gaining more attention this year.
Based on hiring trends, regulatory updates, and market shifts, we predict that Litigation, Financial Services, Corporate Services, Intellectual Property, and Labor & Employment will dominate headlines in 2025.
Let’s dive into why these areas are taking center stage:
1. Litigation: THE Top Legal Topic of 2025
One of the best ways to determine the top legal topics of 2025 is by analyzing which types of attorneys law firms hired in 2024. In fact, 39% of law firms proactively hire partners based on the practice areas with significant growth potential for the upcoming year. From this data, litigation dominated as the most sought-after practice area in 2024, accounting for 26% of all partner-level hires in US law firms.
This litigation hiring trend suggests law firms are gearing up for more legal disputes across various industries. Expect to see:
- More securities and shareholder litigation due to economic volatility.
- The rise of international and globally related litigation. With changing international trade laws and companies that have ongoing global contracts, we can expect an increase in trials that require a multi-jurisdictional approach.
- Litigation in hyper-focused areas like ESG (environmental, social, and governance) as well as litigation in areas that require additional education and admissions, such as patent prosecutors or appellate lawyers.
2. Financial Services: SEC Shift in Priorities
With ongoing SEC crackdowns and regulatory reforms, financial services attorneys will have a busy year. But at the top of the list for transactions within the financial services arena are ETFs, and more specifically, Section 351 transactions.
Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and Tax Strategies:
- The ETF industry continues to evolve with innovative tax strategies fueling its growth. Section 351 transactions have played a critical role in expanding ETF offerings, enabling firms to achieve significant asset growth while maintaining tax efficiency.
- Companies leveraging these strategies have seen exponential increases in assets under management (AUM), demonstrating the importance of creative legal structuring in financial services.
- With ongoing SEC scrutiny of investment vehicles, we expect continued discussions around tax-advantaged transactions and regulatory responses to ETF innovation.
- We’re confident that ETFs will be one of the top legal topics of 2025, especially within the financial services practice area after several of our Practus partners have been recognized in the media and awarded legal awards as pioneers of these Section 351 transactions.
A Shift in SEC Priorities:
Interestingly, the SEC seems to be shifting priorities away from cryptocurrency in 2025 now that they’ve dropped several notable cases. Although there are still a few outstanding crypto-related cases, the media attention that has followed these cases throughout the last several years is dwindling in favor of tax-associated financial services news.
Connect with a Financial Services attorney today.
3. Corporate Services: The Year of Corporate Governance
Corporate services attorneys are the second-most sought-after group of lawyers, making up 17.5% of partner-level hires in 2024. This stat makes sense since corporations will always need legal counsel. But this year has a unique twist, showing a notable spike in one area for corporate attorneys: corporate governance. The search term “good corporate governance” is trending, with a 900% spike in Google searches. Corporations are preparing for:
- Heightened board oversight and shareholder activism.
- Stricter regulations on corporate ethics and social responsibility.
- International compliance challenges in a rapidly evolving market.
Connect with a Corporate Services attorney to see how you can prepare for the year ahead.
4. Intellectual Property: The Expanding Influence of NIL and AI
The landscape of intellectual property law continues to shift as emerging technologies and modern career paths create new legal challenges. From the rise of influencer marketing to the growing use of AI-generated content, IP attorneys are navigating uncharted territory, and 2025 is poised to bring even more significant legal developments. IP attorneys are also the 3rd most hired lawyers over the last year, making up 7.2% of new partners at firms.
We expect the following IP issues will make Intellectual Property one of the top legal topics of 2025:
- NIL Rights: Influencers and athletes face new contract disputes over their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). The days of content creation and social media influencers being seen as hobbyists are long gone. More than 33% of Gen Alpha say becoming a YouTuber is their top career choice, and more than 1 in 5 want to become a TikToker. This career trend, along with NCAA student athletes’ ability to finance their talents, indicates NIL rights will become a more common IP dispute as this generation chases their entrepreneurial dreams.
- AI & Copyrights: Who owns AI-generated content? This question has been and will continue to be central to new IP litigation as more industries than ever are incorporating Generative AI into their daily work. Countries like the UK have already implemented IP protection for computer-generated works. Will more countries follow suit in 2025? Only time will tell, but we’re confident legal reporters will continue to monitor the intersection of AI and IP closely throughout the year.
- Patents & Science: Regulatory scrutiny from the FDA combined with disputes over IP in cutting-edge fields has fueled a rise in patent disputes. With biotech stocks remaining volatile and investors pushing for stronger transparency, companies in this space should prepare for heightened legal challenges. We are proud to have a team of patent attorneys, representing clients in patent prosecution, patent litigation, and everything in between.
5. Labor & Employment: Adapting to Workplace Changes
The shifting regulatory landscape is bringing major employment law challenges through executive orders that impact labor laws and regulatory agencies, buyouts and layoffs in the federal workforce, and expansion of remote employees.
Our Labor & Employment attorneys weighed in on what you can expect in this practice area for the upcoming year:
- Rise in reverse discrimination lawsuits and employer compliance costs as companies navigate new DEI policies and Supreme Court rulings on workplace discrimination standards.
- An ongoing struggle to adapt workplace policies to hybrid and remote workforces due to outdated in-office policies that no longer align with the realities of today’s employees.
- A fast-moving first 100 days of regulatory upheaval has left federal agencies in flux, making this an ideal time for employers to reassess compliance measures and workplace policies.
- NLRB enforcement has slowed due to leadership vacancies, which may leave labor unions frustrated while employers navigate shifting policies with uncertainty.
You can get detailed insights from our L&E attorneys’ collaborative blog: Labor & Employment Issues to Watch for in 2025.
This year is set to be a dynamic one in the legal world, with changes that will impact businesses, employees, and investors alike. Staying ahead of the developments for these top legal topics of 2025 is crucial, and our team at Practus is ready to guide clients through these evolving legal landscapes. Check out our Practice Areas page to proactively connect with an attorney.
Browse our Top Legal Topics of 2024 and 2023 to see how these practice areas have changed over the years.
