Managing partners of some of Ireland’s top firms tell Ben Haugh about the biggest legal challenges that businesses should be aware of this year

ACTIVITY

There’s been lots happening in terms of regulation, with plenty of change on the horizon. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive has brought lots of new developments for organisations to get to grips with, but recent proposed changes to streamline sustainability reporting and reduce administrative burdens will bring more clarity and flexibility for businesses. The AI Act is having an impact, and Arthur Cox is helping clients assess how AI is integrated into their operations and whether their models meet the Act’s transparency, risk management and governance requirements. The Digital Operational Resilience Act has been a big change for financial institutions in terms of their cyber security and digital resilience.

LANDSCAPE

The landscape has continued to be pretty dynamic, and I suppose one of the biggest challenges for everyone is to be adaptive when it comes to changes in the market. Regulatory environments are evolving rapidly, so to meet changing client needs we have focused on enhancing our service offerings and ensuring we remain responsive and proactive. This includes leveraging our industry knowledge and maintaining close communication with clients to understand their changing requirements.

At the same time, this evolving landscape also brings opportunities, particularly in areas such as ESG and digital and financial regulation. So Arthur Cox has focused on how we can work with clients to help them anticipate risks, and making sure we are well-positioned to help our clients with all of their issues.

CHALLENGES

I think a lot of the compliance challenges we saw in 2024 will continue in 2025, but with the background of evolving economic pressures and shifting trade relationships. Regulatory divergence is likely to be an issue for organisations operating internationally, so keeping on top of developments will be critical — especially for businesses leveraging AI and digital services, as well as those operating in highly regulated sectors.

TECH

Digital innovation has been an area of significant focus for us, and we’ve invested substantially so we can equip our people with top-notch collaboration tools while preserving our firm’s strong culture of excellence in client service. We see technology as an enabler of efficiency, and something that is central to staying competitive in an increasingly demanding market. We are actively investing in GenAI to explore and understand how and where it will drive value, such as building custom workflow engines and document automation software. Keeping a close eye on global developments, and being ready to adapt, will be essential.

OUTLOOK

Technology will continue to shape the legal industry, and I believe everything we are doing to invest in technology and collaborative tools will position us well to take advantage of any opportunities that come along. But that’s not to forget that we are a people business, and investing in our people is always going to be central to everything we do — we want to continue to attract the best people, and make sure we are creating an environment where they can thrive, where they can innovate and collaborate easily and continue to deliver forward-thinking legal solutions.