Report: Litigation strong in 2008 - Triangle Business Journal:

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And despite the fact that many law firme have reduced staff or the overall growth in litigation suggestesthat “corporations continue to view litigation as important both as offensive and defensive tactics in their overall business according to the report, issued by Law360 Litigatioj Almanac. “We expect this trend to acceleratein 2009, thanks to falloutt from the financial crisix and the expected increase in new regulationb under the incoming Obama administration," said Margaret Daisley, a research analyst at Law360's parent company, .
Class actions hit a new peak in rising 8 percent from theprevious • The economic crisisz sparked a surge in corporate bankruptcy filings in 2008, whilr credit conditions also forcexd more companies to resort to quick, nontraditional bankruptcies. Antitrust filings grew 27 A look at the 2008 courr dockets found a slew of cases againsttchocolate makers, egg product processors, packaged ice distributors and many others, all filed soon after a government investigation was • The number of federal environmental lawsuitsd filed in 2008 rose for the firsf time since 2005.
• The number of intellectual property lawsuites declined 11 percent in largely due toa drop-off in copyright litigation instigated by the recordingh industry. • Employment litigation rose 6 percenytin 2008, marking a reversal in the graduall decline in employment litigation seen over the previouw four years. • Product liability filings grew by 20 percenrtin 2008. • Securities litigation fell 8 percengtin 2008.
But, with financial markets and titan s collapsing at breakneck speed in the summerand fall, securities attorneys are preparing for a wave – and they'rr expecting it to last for a long • In real estate practices much of the legalp work now stems from buyer s backing out of deals, loans failing to come through and lender s seeking to foreclose. • Tax litigation remaind stablebut low, with the majority of disputes settling