The launch of the 2025 Chambers Global Guide has unveiled a comprehensive overview of global legal market trends, emerging areas of interest, and significant achievements in this year’s research. The 2025 Global Guide offers an extensive evaluation of the global legal market, showcasing a significant increase in rankings and lawyer recognitions compared to previous years:
- 13,756 Department or Organisation Rankings
- 29,840 Lawyer Rankings
- 3,060 Newly Ranked Lawyers
- 2,522 Up-and-Comers and Associates to Watch
General Counsel Insights and Strategic Assessment
A significant new feature of the 2025 Global Guide is the inclusion of General Counsel (GC) Tables, offering deep insights into the evolving role of 270 in-house lawyers across key regions, including Africa, Asia-Pacific, Brazil, Canada, Europe, Greater China Region, Latin America, the Middle East, the UK, and the USA. These tables provide a strategic assessment of legal team development and management, focusing on best practices in internal team structuring, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. The insights are further enriched by contributions from private lawyers, offering a comprehensive overview of the relationship between in-house teams and external counsel.
More information on how to participate in future editions will be provided in due course.
Regional Insights
AMECO (Africa, Middle East, and Caribbean Offshore)
Despite conflicts in parts of Africa and the Middle East, AMECO experienced one of its busiest years, with rankings surpassing 2,000 for the first time. Notably, 2158 rankings across 100 jurisdictions reflect the growing importance of this region, with new tables launched in 2025, including:
- Israel Investment Funds
- Mauritius Banking & Finance
- Nigeria Capital Markets and Competition
- Saudi Arabia Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs
- Somalia General Business Law
- UAE Regulatory: Financial Services, TMT (Media, Entertainment & Sport), and Transportation: Aviation
The top firms by Band 1 rankings continue to be largely dominated by international outfits, though leading local firms such as South Africa’s Webber Wentzel and Israel’s FISCHER, Herzog Fox & Neeman, and Meitar also notably feature in the top 10 list.
Also of note, an increased emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) during the research period led to nearly doubling the number of ranked associates from 50 to 90, further promoting diverse junior lawyer recognition in the region.
Caribbean Market: Renewed Activity and Regulatory Developments
While the Cayman Islands experienced a period of relative quiet since 2023 due to rising interest rates and bank failures, there are early signs of a rebound in key areas such M&A, finance, and securitisation. In response to growing regulatory demands, Cayman law firms have made substantial investments in strengthening their financial regulatory capabilities to better support their clients.
Meanwhile, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) have witnessed notable growth in the funds sector, driven by the popularity of new BVI fund products and the emergence of regulatory challenges in the Cayman Islands, positioning the BVI as an increasingly attractive jurisdiction for fund-related activities.
Africa: Post-Election Recovery and Emerging Opportunities
The African market has shown resilience amidst post-election uncertainty, particularly in South Africa, where initial investor hesitation due to market volatility is gradually giving way to increased activity in transactional markets.
Kenya continues to solidify its status as a technology hub for Eastern Africa, attracting startups that favour efficient dispute resolution mechanisms like arbitration over lengthy court processes. This emphasis on streamlined resolution has created a favourable investment climate, supported by internationally recognised dispute resolution frameworks. Additionally, Kenyan tax litigation remains highly active, driven by the Kenya Revenue Authority’s increasingly assertive approach, resulting in growing client demand in this area.
In Angola, interest from large clients is expanding due to the Lobito Corridor, a key infrastructure project that will enhance transportation for the mining sector while supporting the country’s efforts to diversify its economy, particularly through alternative energy initiatives spearheaded by Middle Eastern investors.
Saudi Arabia and UAE: Regulatory Developments and Market Expansion
The Saudi legal market is undergoing significant transformation with continuous regulatory changes. New policies limit legal advisory work on Saudi law outside the country to 30%, prompting international law firms to establish local offices. These firms are expanding their presence through lateral hires, benefiting from the emergence of a new generation of highly skilled Saudi lawyers.
In the UAE, the alignment of ranking tables with lawyer specialisations has enhanced recognition accuracy. Gender parity has also improved significantly, with female representation exceeding 30% in several areas, although Banking & Finance, Corporate/M&A, and Capital Markets still have room for growth.
