Survey: Litigation Bounces Back; Regulation Hits High

Companies in the United States and United Kingdom dealt with more litigation while regulatory investigations reached a five-year high, according to Fulbright’s 9th Annual Litigation Trends Survey. After a one-year decline, litigation rose to 2010 levels as businesses on both sides of the Atlantic initiated and faced more lawsuits in 2012 than they did in 2011. In the U.S., labor and employment disputes and contract litigation led the way. Meanwhile, Fulbright’s respondents adapted to a stricter regulatory environment, both at home and abroad, following the toughest Wall Street reform since the 1930s and the U.K.’s 2010 anti-bribery legislation.