October 16, 2007
Plenty of work for corporate counsel
By Matthew L. Brown
International law firm Fulbright & Jaworski's fourth annual Litigation Trends survey has found a drop in the number of new lawsuits and regulatory actions filed against U.S. companies.
The most recent results are the first in the survey's four-year history to show a decline in the number of suits filed.
But that doesn't mean corporate attorneys don't have enough to do. The survey found that companies still face large numbers of pending cases in multiple areas and jurisdictions. One third of corporate law departments surveyed said they had more than 25 lawsuits at any one time, and 18 percent said they were juggling at least 100 actions in U.S. courts.
The survey found that the industries facing the highest number of disputes with at least $20 million on the line were retail, insurers, energy, technology and manufacturing.
Industries with the fewest new filings were education and financial services.
Corporate attorneys surveyed said caseloads are growing fastest in the intellectual property, patent and trademark areas.
The most recent results are the first in the survey's four-year history to show a decline in the number of suits filed.
But that doesn't mean corporate attorneys don't have enough to do. The survey found that companies still face large numbers of pending cases in multiple areas and jurisdictions. One third of corporate law departments surveyed said they had more than 25 lawsuits at any one time, and 18 percent said they were juggling at least 100 actions in U.S. courts.
The survey found that the industries facing the highest number of disputes with at least $20 million on the line were retail, insurers, energy, technology and manufacturing.
Industries with the fewest new filings were education and financial services.
Corporate attorneys surveyed said caseloads are growing fastest in the intellectual property, patent and trademark areas.
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