The triple collision of geopolitics (Gigapowers), energy transition (Gigawatts), and artificial intelligence (Gigabytes) — or GeoDisruption³— are the forces reshaping global investment flows, regulatory landscapes, and legal risk. These accelerating dynamics are making cross-border investments, operations, and deals more uncertain, complex, and costly for in-house counsel in multinational companies.
The 2025 Lex Mundi General Counsel Report is based on insights from 50+ senior in-house counsel at blue-chip multinationals, gathered during the General Counsel Summit in Milan last October.
What insights are within the report?
- Three types of geopolitically-driven regulation are posing new strategic dilemmas and material contingencies for multinational companies operating cross-border: foreign investment, trade and technology transfer controls; sanctions; and supply chain mandates.
- Local legal insights are more mission-critical than ever to inform strategic decisions as a part of smarter risk and implementation planning for product development, market entry, commercial partnerships, investments, and transactions.
- General Counsel can help their companies embrace disruption by strengthening five areas of legal management—tactical negotiations, crisis responsiveness, risk-spotting and pre-diligence, AI, and agile legal project management.
As General Counsel guide their companies through divergent laws and regulations across jurisdictions, they have never been under more pressure.
If you would like to discuss aspects of this report, including with members of your in-house legal team or law firm, contact Eric Staal.
"There is a trifecta of regulatory disruption driven by geopolitics, energy transition, and AI.
The crucial shift is toward earlier legal assessments informed by local intelligence, in order to better navigate product launches and market entry, business relationships, operational strategies and capital allocation.
Legal project management, in particular, is misunderstood as being about efficient deadline and cost management; its real value is in enabling smarter decisions to support strategy implementation.”
Eric Staal Vice President, Global Markets