1. Sanctions: the end of the beginning? The last two years have seen an unprecedented number of sanctions across several jurisdictions. What we are seeing now is that the courts are increasingly having to grapple, not just with applications from those sanctioned, but also from commercial parties whose operations have been affected by sanctions. We are now moving to a new phase where the pace of new laws has slowed but litigators are called upon to interpret and apply those laws.

2. Sanctions, cybersecurity, data privacy, social media and the increasing use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) all give rise to the need to protect and defend the rights, interests and reputation of clients. Clients are becoming much more proactive about managing their reputations, instead of just reacting in a crisis. Lawyers must increasingly look to work on a cross-jurisdictional basis if they are to serve their clients well in tracing confidential data, managing future and past publicised moments and assessing brand impact to protect the value of public and commercial image, perception, associations, industry and position.