Top Growth Practices and Industries for 2025

Law firms will be busy — or have the opportunity to be busy — over the next 12 months.

Clients are trying to break through the growing demands, risks and complexities of the economy and the legal world. As we discussed in our 16^th Annual BTI Market Outlook and Client Service Review — legal spending is poised for another record year — and record rates.

But the biggest increases in spending for outside counsel are clustered in key industries and practices. Outsized growth and rates depend on targeting these clients.

BTI’s 2025 forecast — based on detailed responses from more than 350 corporate counsel and 23 years of analysis — reveals the top growth practices and industries. This is where clients with the fastest growing legal spend live.

Use these coordinates to turbocharge business development and target clients with climbing spending and needs. We discuss each below:

Labor and Employment Leads

The top drivers for the fastest-growing practice include:

• • An activist workforce
  • Regulations at the state and federal level
  • Union activities reaching levels not seen since the 1960s
  • Social activism — with workforces protesting against employer positions on geopolitics, DEI, sustainability, and social issues

In addition, the growing wave of layoffs and back door layoffs through return to office mandates top off the needs demanding immediate client attention.

Litigation

Clients face a record number of cases. They are spending at record levels to resolve it.

High-stakes matters are surging. They are the fastest-growing segment. These exceptionally risky matters consume the bulk of client mind share. Risk is sky-high due to new and novel matters — and the skyrocketing size of the financial claims.

M&A

Large companies sit on enormous pent-up demand. Midsize and smaller companies are targets. These smaller clients are making acquisitions of their own.

Companies are looking to acquire technology and digital-first companies. There is also a robust market for divestitures as companies look to strategically streamline operations.

Bet-the-Company Litigation

The number of bet-the-company matters is up an almost stunning 4-fold over last year. Little of this work is going out to RFP.

Clients broadened their definition of bet-the-company as more threats can pose a devastating blow.

Class Actions

More companies face class actions than ever. Like litigation, class actions are more complex. Clients suggest courts are allowing more diverse classes and novel claims to get certified. The stakes are bigger than ever — and clients see no end to the deluge of claims.

IP Litigation

The keywords in IP Litigation are: intractable, aggressive and bigger.

Technology owners and developers are out looking for infringers — and don’t want to settle. Claims are bigger as technology moves more into businesses’ critical path.

At the same time — defendants are mounting aggressive defenses.

Private Equity

Sitting on more new investable funds than ever — look for PE firms to ramp up activity. Deal closings will increase — as will exits.

These investors are looking for new deal structures. They also want to develop new capital structures to both boost returns and attract new funding.

The ability to understand a client’s industry is one of the most powerful law firm differentiators in the market. You can sharpen your understanding of the industry and opportunities by looking at the dynamics of the fastest-growing industries. These include:

High Tech

With more than 13 acute legal needs Tech is the fastest growing industry. These needs range from complex litigation to new and boundary-defining litigation — especially in AI. IP strategies and data privacy remain in strong demand. Large and small M&A are a key focus.

Financial Services

These clients are developing a new array of financial products. Most are complex and designed to boost returns — they also bring new and unseen risks. This drives the need for regulatory analysis and new litigation.

Pharma

A few big Pharma companies are enjoying blockbuster hits. Others are building their product pipeline through acquisitions and joint ventures. These clients want dealmakers who understand these industry regulations, relationships, and nuances of how things get done.

Food/Agriculture

Increasing M&A activity, regulatory oversight, and new products drive 9 acute legal needs.

Deal activity is up as companies look to grow in key markets. Food companies face intense regulations and are looking to understand how to leverage new product lines and formulations within these frameworks. Food technology is playing a larger role with new products and existing offerings — requiring novel approaches to IP protection.

Health Care

A flurry of competitive pressures, consolidation, labor issues, and standard of care issues drive Health Care to be one of the fastest-growing industries for outside counsel needs. These clients need capital to maintain or improve market position — and meet all the regulatory demands of delivering services.

Consumer Products

The race for new products is bringing a flurry of unwanted litigation and claims. These clients are embracing social media to market products and engage customers. This social media outreach is attracting new and novel claims including impacting mental health and causing overeating.

New product introductions keep increasing — and adopting technology is increasing at the same rate. This is driving business but results in unexpected performance or other impacts — bringing litigation.

You can get all the details and target business development strategies for 18 industries cross-referenced against 15 practices for the best opportunities in the newly released report: BTI Practice Outlook 2025.

You can also view our discussion and analysis of industry opportunities in the newly posted recording of BTI’s 16^th  annual BTI Client Service Review and Market Outlook 2025.