{"id":28638,"date":"2026-02-16T16:40:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T16:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/?post_type=topics&#038;p=28638"},"modified":"2026-02-16T17:17:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T17:17:57","slug":"legal-industry-trends-2026-global","status":"publish","type":"topics","link":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/","title":{"rendered":"Global legal industry trends 2026: Key markets to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Informed by research for the new Chambers Global Guide 2026,&nbsp;the team highlights regions,&nbsp;jurisdictions&nbsp;and practice areas making waves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Geopolitics, market movements, technological leaps&nbsp;and shifting regulations.&nbsp;Today&#8217;s&nbsp;dynamic global environment is delivering both complexity and opportunity for legal practitioners and their clients.&nbsp;Where are the hotspots where change is galloping ahead?&nbsp;We discuss legal industry trends for 2026 with&nbsp;Vian&nbsp;Chowdhury (Head of Global International Capabilities) and Ollie Dimsdale&nbsp;(Head of Africa, Middle East &amp; Caribbean Offshore).<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Watch a fascinating panel discussion chaired by legal affairs journalist Catherine Baksi and featuring legal leaders and Chambers experts in the <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/1\">Global Guide Launch 2026<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>This was our <strong>biggest ever guide<\/strong>, drawing from almost four thousand law firms across six continents.&nbsp;All in all, it features more than 15,000 departments and&nbsp;nearly 33,000&nbsp;individual ranked lawyers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve&nbsp;added and expanded ranking tables to reflect&nbsp;important changes&nbsp;in different&nbsp;jurisdictions&nbsp;including&nbsp;Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kenya.&nbsp;We\u2019ve&nbsp;also created new&nbsp;global&nbsp;tables&nbsp;to recognise&nbsp;the best&nbsp;law firms&nbsp;working in mediation,&nbsp;charities&nbsp;and non-profits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Find the world\u2019s best law firms and lawyers in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/chambers.com\/legal-guide\/global-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chambers Global Guide 2026<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>While different markets and&nbsp;jurisdictions&nbsp;are experiencing&nbsp;different factors,&nbsp;there are a couple of megatrends with a wide impact.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mergers and acquisition (M&amp;A) activity is on the rise; 2025 saw this surge by 40% to $4.8 trillion globally.&nbsp;While about half of this came from North America, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Europe also saw strong deal growth. Private equity (PE) investment told a similar story, hitting&nbsp;a four-year high of $2.1 trillion&nbsp;with a strong showing for the US,&nbsp;Europe&nbsp;and APAC markets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dispute resolution is another big growth area.&nbsp;The global energy transition has boosted the number of climate change cases filed, both in developed and developing countries.&nbsp;Meanwhile, the proliferation of sanctions has created&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For the first time this year,&nbsp;we ran a report looking at the major market trends in more detail, alongside an expert panel featuring top in-house counsel. Find all this in the&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/1\">Global Guide Launch 2026<\/a><\/em><\/strong><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Middle Eastern legal markets are transforming rapidly. Saudi Arabia\u2019s Vision 2030 reforms and the UAE\u2019s financial modernisation are both driving that. As&nbsp;these&nbsp;markets&nbsp;build up infrastructure and&nbsp;open up&nbsp;further to foreign investment, work for law firms and lawyers is growing exponentially.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Natural resources are changing the&nbsp;landscape&nbsp;in several African countries.&nbsp;Nigeria\u2019s established petroleum and&nbsp;natural&nbsp;gas industries are seeing activity driven by&nbsp;ownership&nbsp;changes and tax incentives. Elsewhere on&nbsp;the continent, Namibia and Uganda&nbsp;are gearing up to enter this market&nbsp;and begin exporting their own fossil fuels. The&nbsp;increased&nbsp;drilling and exploration activity&nbsp;is driving an expansion in business and related legal work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Explore more regions in the Global Guide Launch 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Lawyers around the world are&nbsp;talking about the spread of&nbsp;AI.&nbsp;The broad consensus amongst general counsel&nbsp;(GCs)&nbsp;is that AI is adding&nbsp;efficiency&nbsp;value and, in time,&nbsp;reshaping&nbsp;the legal industry as whole.&nbsp;Law firms are increasingly being asked to help evaluate AI tools and provide training on them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Governments in the Middle East have been keen to explore the opportunities offered by AI, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia both wishing to position themselves as global hubs for this technology.&nbsp;It continues to be among the major legal industry trends for 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>South Africa,&nbsp;Nigeria&nbsp;and Kenya&nbsp;have brought in&nbsp;new laws to regulate AI,&nbsp;data&nbsp;and digital assets. This comes as many major technology clients&nbsp;seek&nbsp;to grow their presence in Africa. M&amp;A in South Africa\u2019s technology sector saw significant growth, even as the deal market in the country overall slowed down.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/5\/1\">Learn more in this chapter&nbsp;on legal technology trends in 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Without a doubt, GCs&nbsp;are demanding more from their law firms, whether that\u2019s strong commercial awareness, long-standing relationships&nbsp;or&nbsp;ultimately acting&nbsp;as an extension of their in-house team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s also evidence that some clients are moving away from working with several firms and focusing on building a strong relationship with a single provider as their go-to.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&nbsp;heard from&nbsp;two in-house legal leaders&nbsp;about how&nbsp;they\u2019re&nbsp;handling a broad range of key issues. Joining the panel were&nbsp;<strong>Renato Leite Monteiro, VP Legal for Privacy, Data Protection,&nbsp;AI&nbsp;and IP at e&amp;<\/strong>,&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>James Hanratty, General Counsel at Trainline<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/2\/6\">Meet the speakers and watch the panel discussion<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Find&nbsp;more&nbsp;market insights, expert&nbsp;commentary&nbsp;and in-house counsel interviews in&nbsp;the&nbsp;new<strong>&nbsp;Global Guide Launch 2026<\/strong>, including:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>How sanctions and tariffs are affecting the landscape&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Complex regulation and new legislation&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>What is&nbsp;ESG\u2019s role&nbsp;on the global stage&nbsp;today?&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/1\"><strong>Access the guide<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"featured_media":28640,"parent":0,"template":"","categories":[],"tags":[321,322,320,242],"publication":[34],"blocks":[{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>Informed by research for the new Chambers Global Guide 2026,&nbsp;the team highlights regions,&nbsp;jurisdictions&nbsp;and practice areas making waves.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>Informed by research for the new Chambers Global Guide 2026,&nbsp;the team highlights regions,&nbsp;jurisdictions&nbsp;and practice areas making waves.<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"lazyblock\/chambers-image","attrs":{"image":"%7B%22alt%22:%22legal%20industry%20trends%202026%20global%22,%22title%22:%22legal%20industry%20trends%202026%20global%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22description%22:%22%22,%22id%22:28640,%22link%22:%22https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/?attachment_id=28640%22,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163709\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global.png%22,%22sizes%22:%7B%22thumbnail%22:%7B%22height%22:120,%22width%22:120,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163709\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global-120x120.png%22,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D,%22medium%22:%7B%22height%22:175,%22width%22:300,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163709\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global-300x175.png%22,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D,%22large%22:%7B%22height%22:597,%22width%22:1024,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163709\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global-1024x597.png%22,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D,%22full%22:%7B%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163709\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global.png%22,%22height%22:709,%22width%22:1216,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D%7D%7D","blockId":"2hnMY2","blockUniqueClass":"lazyblock-chambers-image-2hnMY2"},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p><strong>Geopolitics, market movements, technological leaps&nbsp;and shifting regulations.&nbsp;Today's&nbsp;dynamic global environment is delivering both complexity and opportunity for legal practitioners and their clients.&nbsp;Where are the hotspots where change is galloping ahead?&nbsp;We discuss legal industry trends for 2026 with&nbsp;Vian&nbsp;Chowdhury (Head of Global International Capabilities) and Ollie Dimsdale&nbsp;(Head of Africa, Middle East &amp; Caribbean Offshore).<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p><strong>Geopolitics, market movements, technological leaps&nbsp;and shifting regulations.&nbsp;Today's&nbsp;dynamic global environment is delivering both complexity and opportunity for legal practitioners and their clients.&nbsp;Where are the hotspots where change is galloping ahead?&nbsp;We discuss legal industry trends for 2026 with&nbsp;Vian&nbsp;Chowdhury (Head of Global International Capabilities) and Ollie Dimsdale&nbsp;(Head of Africa, Middle East &amp; Caribbean Offshore).<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p><em>Watch a fascinating panel discussion chaired by legal affairs journalist Catherine Baksi and featuring legal leaders and Chambers experts in the <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/1\">Global Guide Launch 2026<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p><em>Watch a fascinating panel discussion chaired by legal affairs journalist Catherine Baksi and featuring legal leaders and Chambers experts in the <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/1\">Global Guide Launch 2026<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"lazyblock\/chambers-header","attrs":{"header":"What\u2019s new in this year\u2019s Global Guide 2026?","headerLevel":"3","blockId":"ZT50nt","blockUniqueClass":"lazyblock-chambers-header-ZT50nt"},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>This was our <strong>biggest ever guide<\/strong>, drawing from almost four thousand law firms across six continents.&nbsp;All in all, it features more than 15,000 departments and&nbsp;nearly 33,000&nbsp;individual ranked lawyers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>This was our <strong>biggest ever guide<\/strong>, drawing from almost four thousand law firms across six continents.&nbsp;All in all, it features more than 15,000 departments and&nbsp;nearly 33,000&nbsp;individual ranked lawyers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>We\u2019ve&nbsp;added and expanded ranking tables to reflect&nbsp;important changes&nbsp;in different&nbsp;jurisdictions&nbsp;including&nbsp;Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kenya.&nbsp;We\u2019ve&nbsp;also created new&nbsp;global&nbsp;tables&nbsp;to recognise&nbsp;the best&nbsp;law firms&nbsp;working in mediation,&nbsp;charities&nbsp;and non-profits.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>We\u2019ve&nbsp;added and expanded ranking tables to reflect&nbsp;important changes&nbsp;in different&nbsp;jurisdictions&nbsp;including&nbsp;Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kenya.&nbsp;We\u2019ve&nbsp;also created new&nbsp;global&nbsp;tables&nbsp;to recognise&nbsp;the best&nbsp;law firms&nbsp;working in mediation,&nbsp;charities&nbsp;and non-profits.<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p><em>Find the world\u2019s best law firms and lawyers in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/chambers.com\/legal-guide\/global-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chambers Global Guide 2026<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p><em>Find the world\u2019s best law firms and lawyers in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/chambers.com\/legal-guide\/global-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chambers Global Guide 2026<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"lazyblock\/chambers-header","attrs":{"header":"Can you highlight some key legal industry trends for 2026? ","headerLevel":"3","blockId":"Z2vEoIm","blockUniqueClass":"lazyblock-chambers-header-Z2vEoIm"},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>While different markets and&nbsp;jurisdictions&nbsp;are experiencing&nbsp;different factors,&nbsp;there are a couple of megatrends with a wide impact.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>While different markets and&nbsp;jurisdictions&nbsp;are experiencing&nbsp;different factors,&nbsp;there are a couple of megatrends with a wide impact.&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>Mergers and acquisition (M&amp;A) activity is on the rise; 2025 saw this surge by 40% to $4.8 trillion globally.&nbsp;While about half of this came from North America, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Europe also saw strong deal growth. Private equity (PE) investment told a similar story, hitting&nbsp;a four-year high of $2.1 trillion&nbsp;with a strong showing for the US,&nbsp;Europe&nbsp;and APAC markets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>Mergers and acquisition (M&amp;A) activity is on the rise; 2025 saw this surge by 40% to $4.8 trillion globally.&nbsp;While about half of this came from North America, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Europe also saw strong deal growth. Private equity (PE) investment told a similar story, hitting&nbsp;a four-year high of $2.1 trillion&nbsp;with a strong showing for the US,&nbsp;Europe&nbsp;and APAC markets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>Dispute resolution is another big growth area.&nbsp;The global energy transition has boosted the number of climate change cases filed, both in developed and developing countries.&nbsp;Meanwhile, the proliferation of sanctions has created&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>Dispute resolution is another big growth area.&nbsp;The global energy transition has boosted the number of climate change cases filed, both in developed and developing countries.&nbsp;Meanwhile, the proliferation of sanctions has created&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p><em>For the first time this year,&nbsp;we ran a report looking at the major market trends in more detail, alongside an expert panel featuring top in-house counsel. Find all this in the&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/1\">Global Guide Launch 2026<\/a><\/em><\/strong><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p><em>For the first time this year,&nbsp;we ran a report looking at the major market trends in more detail, alongside an expert panel featuring top in-house counsel. Find all this in the&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/1\">Global Guide Launch 2026<\/a><\/em><\/strong><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"lazyblock\/chambers-header","attrs":{"header":"Are there any particular regions on your radar?","headerLevel":"3","blockId":"Z1liiJx","blockUniqueClass":"lazyblock-chambers-header-Z1liiJx"},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"lazyblock\/chambers-image","attrs":{"image":"%7B%22alt%22:%22legal%20industry%20trends%202026%20global%20uae%20middle%20east%22,%22title%22:%22legal%20industry%20trends%202026%20global%20uae%20middle%20east%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22description%22:%22%22,%22id%22:28639,%22link%22:%22https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/?attachment_id=28639%22,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163701\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global-uae-middle-east.jpg%22,%22sizes%22:%7B%22thumbnail%22:%7B%22height%22:120,%22width%22:120,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163701\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global-uae-middle-east-120x120.jpg%22,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D,%22medium%22:%7B%22height%22:200,%22width%22:300,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163701\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global-uae-middle-east-300x200.jpg%22,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D,%22large%22:%7B%22height%22:682,%22width%22:1024,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163701\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global-uae-middle-east-1024x682.jpg%22,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D,%22full%22:%7B%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163701\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global-uae-middle-east.jpg%22,%22height%22:1333,%22width%22:2000,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D%7D%7D","blockId":"Z1fDFya","blockUniqueClass":"lazyblock-chambers-image-Z1fDFya"},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>Middle Eastern legal markets are transforming rapidly. Saudi Arabia\u2019s Vision 2030 reforms and the UAE\u2019s financial modernisation are both driving that. As&nbsp;these&nbsp;markets&nbsp;build up infrastructure and&nbsp;open up&nbsp;further to foreign investment, work for law firms and lawyers is growing exponentially.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>Middle Eastern legal markets are transforming rapidly. Saudi Arabia\u2019s Vision 2030 reforms and the UAE\u2019s financial modernisation are both driving that. As&nbsp;these&nbsp;markets&nbsp;build up infrastructure and&nbsp;open up&nbsp;further to foreign investment, work for law firms and lawyers is growing exponentially.&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>Natural resources are changing the&nbsp;landscape&nbsp;in several African countries.&nbsp;Nigeria\u2019s established petroleum and&nbsp;natural&nbsp;gas industries are seeing activity driven by&nbsp;ownership&nbsp;changes and tax incentives. Elsewhere on&nbsp;the continent, Namibia and Uganda&nbsp;are gearing up to enter this market&nbsp;and begin exporting their own fossil fuels. The&nbsp;increased&nbsp;drilling and exploration activity&nbsp;is driving an expansion in business and related legal work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>Natural resources are changing the&nbsp;landscape&nbsp;in several African countries.&nbsp;Nigeria\u2019s established petroleum and&nbsp;natural&nbsp;gas industries are seeing activity driven by&nbsp;ownership&nbsp;changes and tax incentives. Elsewhere on&nbsp;the continent, Namibia and Uganda&nbsp;are gearing up to enter this market&nbsp;and begin exporting their own fossil fuels. The&nbsp;increased&nbsp;drilling and exploration activity&nbsp;is driving an expansion in business and related legal work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p><strong>Explore more regions in the Global Guide Launch 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p><strong>Explore more regions in the Global Guide Launch 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"lazyblock\/chambers-header","attrs":{"header":"What impact is AI having on lawyers globally?","headerLevel":"3","blockId":"Z1fzLGi","blockUniqueClass":"lazyblock-chambers-header-Z1fzLGi"},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>Lawyers around the world are&nbsp;talking about the spread of&nbsp;AI.&nbsp;The broad consensus amongst general counsel&nbsp;(GCs)&nbsp;is that AI is adding&nbsp;efficiency&nbsp;value and, in time,&nbsp;reshaping&nbsp;the legal industry as whole.&nbsp;Law firms are increasingly being asked to help evaluate AI tools and provide training on them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>Lawyers around the world are&nbsp;talking about the spread of&nbsp;AI.&nbsp;The broad consensus amongst general counsel&nbsp;(GCs)&nbsp;is that AI is adding&nbsp;efficiency&nbsp;value and, in time,&nbsp;reshaping&nbsp;the legal industry as whole.&nbsp;Law firms are increasingly being asked to help evaluate AI tools and provide training on them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>Governments in the Middle East have been keen to explore the opportunities offered by AI, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia both wishing to position themselves as global hubs for this technology.&nbsp;It continues to be among the major legal industry trends for 2026.<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>Governments in the Middle East have been keen to explore the opportunities offered by AI, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia both wishing to position themselves as global hubs for this technology.&nbsp;It continues to be among the major legal industry trends for 2026.<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>South Africa,&nbsp;Nigeria&nbsp;and Kenya&nbsp;have brought in&nbsp;new laws to regulate AI,&nbsp;data&nbsp;and digital assets. This comes as many major technology clients&nbsp;seek&nbsp;to grow their presence in Africa. M&amp;A in South Africa\u2019s technology sector saw significant growth, even as the deal market in the country overall slowed down.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>South Africa,&nbsp;Nigeria&nbsp;and Kenya&nbsp;have brought in&nbsp;new laws to regulate AI,&nbsp;data&nbsp;and digital assets. This comes as many major technology clients&nbsp;seek&nbsp;to grow their presence in Africa. M&amp;A in South Africa\u2019s technology sector saw significant growth, even as the deal market in the country overall slowed down.&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/5\/1\">Learn more in this chapter&nbsp;on legal technology trends in 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/5\/1\">Learn more in this chapter&nbsp;on legal technology trends in 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"lazyblock\/chambers-header","attrs":{"header":"Is the client-law firm relationship changing?","headerLevel":"3","blockId":"Z119c7l","blockUniqueClass":"lazyblock-chambers-header-Z119c7l"},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>Without a doubt, GCs&nbsp;are demanding more from their law firms, whether that\u2019s strong commercial awareness, long-standing relationships&nbsp;or&nbsp;ultimately acting&nbsp;as an extension of their in-house team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>Without a doubt, GCs&nbsp;are demanding more from their law firms, whether that\u2019s strong commercial awareness, long-standing relationships&nbsp;or&nbsp;ultimately acting&nbsp;as an extension of their in-house team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>There\u2019s also evidence that some clients are moving away from working with several firms and focusing on building a strong relationship with a single provider as their go-to.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>There\u2019s also evidence that some clients are moving away from working with several firms and focusing on building a strong relationship with a single provider as their go-to.&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>We&nbsp;heard from&nbsp;two in-house legal leaders&nbsp;about how&nbsp;they\u2019re&nbsp;handling a broad range of key issues. Joining the panel were&nbsp;<strong>Renato Leite Monteiro, VP Legal for Privacy, Data Protection,&nbsp;AI&nbsp;and IP at e&amp;<\/strong>,&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>James Hanratty, General Counsel at Trainline<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>We&nbsp;heard from&nbsp;two in-house legal leaders&nbsp;about how&nbsp;they\u2019re&nbsp;handling a broad range of key issues. Joining the panel were&nbsp;<strong>Renato Leite Monteiro, VP Legal for Privacy, Data Protection,&nbsp;AI&nbsp;and IP at e&amp;<\/strong>,&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>James Hanratty, General Counsel at Trainline<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/2\/6\">Meet the speakers and watch the panel discussion<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/2\/6\">Meet the speakers and watch the panel discussion<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"lazyblock\/chambers-header","attrs":{"header":"Explore more global legal trends for 2026","headerLevel":"3","blockId":"ZC5BHj","blockUniqueClass":"lazyblock-chambers-header-ZC5BHj"},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p>Find&nbsp;more&nbsp;market insights, expert&nbsp;commentary&nbsp;and in-house counsel interviews in&nbsp;the&nbsp;new<strong>&nbsp;Global Guide Launch 2026<\/strong>, including:&nbsp;<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p>Find&nbsp;more&nbsp;market insights, expert&nbsp;commentary&nbsp;and in-house counsel interviews in&nbsp;the&nbsp;new<strong>&nbsp;Global Guide Launch 2026<\/strong>, including:&nbsp;<\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/list","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<ul><li>How sanctions and tariffs are affecting the landscape&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n","innerContent":["\n<ul><li>How sanctions and tariffs are affecting the landscape&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/list","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<ul><li>Complex regulation and new legislation&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n","innerContent":["\n<ul><li>Complex regulation and new legislation&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/list","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<ul><li>What is&nbsp;ESG\u2019s role&nbsp;on the global stage&nbsp;today?&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n","innerContent":["\n<ul><li>What is&nbsp;ESG\u2019s role&nbsp;on the global stage&nbsp;today?&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"core\/paragraph","attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/1\"><strong>Access the guide<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.chambers.com\/story\/global-guide-launch-2026-g\/page\/1\"><strong>Access the guide<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n"]},{"blockName":null,"attrs":[],"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\n","innerContent":["\n\n"]},{"blockName":"lazyblock\/chambers-image","attrs":{"image":"%7B%22alt%22:%22legal%20industry%20trends%20global%20guide%202026%22,%22title%22:%22legal%20industry%20trends%20global%20guide%202026%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22description%22:%22%22,%22id%22:28641,%22link%22:%22https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/?attachment_id=28641%22,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13164010\/legal-industry-trends-global-guide-2026.png%22,%22sizes%22:%7B%22thumbnail%22:%7B%22height%22:120,%22width%22:120,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13164010\/legal-industry-trends-global-guide-2026-120x120.png%22,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D,%22medium%22:%7B%22height%22:224,%22width%22:300,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13164010\/legal-industry-trends-global-guide-2026-300x224.png%22,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D,%22large%22:%7B%22height%22:766,%22width%22:1024,%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13164010\/legal-industry-trends-global-guide-2026-1024x766.png%22,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D,%22full%22:%7B%22url%22:%22https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13164010\/legal-industry-trends-global-guide-2026.png%22,%22height%22:832,%22width%22:1112,%22orientation%22:%22landscape%22%7D%7D%7D","blockId":"ZEHv2d","blockUniqueClass":"lazyblock-chambers-image-ZEHv2d"},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"","innerContent":[]}],"new_scheduled_revision":null,"save_as_revision":null,"acf":{"custom_url":{"base_url":"guides","category":""},"href_lang":false,"useful_links":false,"social_sharing_post_options":{"alignment":"left","sticky":false},"template":{"name":"text-rich-media","sticky_sidebar":false},"hero_title":"","hero_description":"","hero_content_color":"light","hero_enable_responsive_images":false,"hero_image":false,"hero_retina_image":false,"title":"Chambers Global Research Team","sponsors_list":{"sponsors":[{"name":"","website":"","logo":"https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/01132638\/c-laurel-oxfordblue%401x.jpg","display_order":"0"}],"showhide_borders":false},"sponsored_page":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v15.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Informed by research for the new Chambers Global Guide 2026, our team highlights legal industry trends, regions and practice areas making waves.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Global Legal Industry Trends 2026: Key Markets to Watch - Chambers and Partners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Informed by research for the new Chambers Global Guide 2026, our team highlights legal industry trends, regions and practice areas making waves.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Chambers and Partners | Researching Outstanding Lawyers Globally | chambers.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-16T17:17:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163709\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1216\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"709\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/\",\"name\":\"Chambers and Partners | Researching Outstanding Lawyers Globally | chambers.com\",\"description\":\"Chambers and Partners identifies and ranks the most outstanding law firms and lawyers in over 180 jurisdictions throughout the world.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163709\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global.png\",\"width\":1216,\"height\":709,\"caption\":\"legal industry trends 2026 global\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/\",\"name\":\"Global Legal Industry Trends 2026: Key Markets to Watch - Chambers and Partners\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-16T16:40:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-16T17:17:57+00:00\",\"description\":\"Informed by research for the new Chambers Global Guide 2026, our team highlights legal industry trends, regions and practice areas making waves.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/\"]}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_title":null,"yoast_meta":[{"name":"description","content":"Informed by research for the new Chambers Global Guide 2026, our team highlights legal industry trends, regions and practice areas making waves."},{"name":"robots","content":"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1"},{"property":"og:locale","content":"en_GB"},{"property":"og:type","content":"article"},{"property":"og:title","content":"Global Legal Industry Trends 2026: Key Markets to Watch - Chambers and Partners"},{"property":"og:description","content":"Informed by research for the new Chambers Global Guide 2026, our team highlights legal industry trends, regions and practice areas making waves."},{"property":"og:url","content":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/"},{"property":"og:site_name","content":"Chambers and Partners | Researching Outstanding Lawyers Globally | chambers.com"},{"property":"article:modified_time","content":"2026-02-16T17:17:57+00:00"},{"property":"og:image","content":"https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163709\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global.png"},{"property":"og:image:width","content":"1216"},{"property":"og:image:height","content":"709"},{"name":"twitter:card","content":"summary_large_image"}],"yoast_json_ld":[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/","name":"Chambers and Partners | Researching Outstanding Lawyers Globally | chambers.com","description":"Chambers and Partners identifies and ranks the most outstanding law firms and lawyers in over 180 jurisdictions throughout the world.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/?s={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-GB","url":"https:\/\/assets.chambers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/13163709\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global.png","width":1216,"height":709,"caption":"legal industry trends 2026 global"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/","name":"Global Legal Industry Trends 2026: Key Markets to Watch - Chambers and Partners","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2026-02-16T16:40:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-16T17:17:57+00:00","description":"Informed by research for the new Chambers Global Guide 2026, our team highlights legal industry trends, regions and practice areas making waves.","inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/topics\/legal-industry-trends-2026-global\/"]}]}]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics\/28638"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/topics"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28638"},{"taxonomy":"publications","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpcms.chambers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=28638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}