Norton Rose Fulbright’s 2025 Annual Litigation Trends Survey reveals that nearly a quarter (24%) of all respondents experienced class action litigation in the last year, remaining essentially flat versus the year prior. Employment and labor actions – a perennial pain point for organizations – were the most common variety, experienced by approximately half (52%) of those who saw class action litigation over the past year, with nearly the same share (51%) voicing concern about future class actions in this area. This risk is accentuated for organizations in more employee-friendly jurisdictions.

ESG is another growing issue, cited by 15% of respondents who experienced class actions (compared to 11% last year). Major class action cases concerning socially conscious investing and involving tens of thousands of plaintiffs could be a potential harbinger of what’s to come as ESG remains in the political crosshairs.

As organizations deal with the fallout from cyberattacks and data leaks, approximately one-third of respondents involved in a class action over the past 12 months cited cybersecurity, data protection and data privacy litigation.

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Partner, Canadian National Chair, Litigation and Disputes

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