Crowell & Moring Releases 2018 Regulatory Forecast: What Corporate Counsel Need to Know for the Coming Year

How the Digital Transformation Will Be Shaped by Regulation

Washington – February 28, 2018: Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce the publication of its “Regulatory Forecast 2018: What Corporate Counsel Need to Know for the Coming Year.” The theme of the fourth-annual Forecast is how digital technology is driving the future of business across a wide range of industries – and how Washington, as well as state and global regulators, is forging the appropriate balance between fostering innovation and protecting consumers. This report is the companion piece to the firm’s 2018 Litigation Forecast, which was published in January.

The Regulatory Forecast offers an in-depth look at how the digital transformation and innovation in new technologies—including mobile devices, the Internet of Things, blockchain, 3D printing, and autonomous vehicles—are creating new opportunities and risks for businesses across industries and borders. The Forecast also provides key insights on nine areas of law: antitrust, enforcement, government contracts, health care, intellectual property, insurance, privacy and cybersecurity, tax, and trade.

“Explosive innovation is propelling rapid economic and societal change around the globe,” said Philip T. Inglima, Crowell & Moring chair. “How this digital transformation is realized will be determined in large part by regulation—and right now, innovators have a unique opportunity to help shape that regulatory framework. This year’s Forecast helps in-house counsel understand the regulatory landscape so they can create a roadmap for innovation and enhance their competitive edge.”

Feature articles in the Forecast include:

• “Digital Transformation: The Sky’s the Limit” provides a look at how technology is helping companies soar to new heights and how regulation can help companies to succeed.
• As companies invest in distributed ledger technology, our “Blockchain: Progress and Promise” infographic offers an industry-by-industry review of this emerging technology, and the emerging regulatory framework in which it operates.
• In the wake of devastating hurricanes, government and the insurance industry are assessing whether global infrastructure can withstand the next superstorms. “Natural Disasters: Dealing with the New Normal” explores how regulators, insurers, and infrastructure owners need to work together to ensure reliability.

Focus articles in the Forecast include:

• “Insurance/Reinsurance: Insurance Companies Emerge from Bank-like Oversight”
• “Trade: NAFTA: Renegotiate—or Scrap?”
• “Antitrust: Trump’s First Year: Not as ‘Merger-Friendly’ as Expected”
• “Intellectual Property: Patent Reviews: The Journey Continues”
• “Government Contracts: Will Purchasing Be Streamlined?”
• “Tax: New Burdens for the IRS”
• “Enforcement: Despite a Softening in Regulations, Enforcement Continues”
• “Health Care: Mergers: Keeping Care Competitive”
• “Privacy & Cybersecurity: Risky Business: Preparation, Prevention, Regulation”

All the articles from the Forecast are available at www.crowell.com/RegulatoryForecast. Follow the conversation on Twitter with #RegulatoryForecast.

About Crowell & Moring’s Regulatory Department

Crowell & Moring’s Regulatory Department includes more than 100 former government officials who have held pivotal positions in the U.S. and abroad. The firm’s lawyers and consultants have experience drafting, negotiating, and implementing critical regulations that impact business across industries. Crowell & Moring’s international policy and regulatory affairs subsidiary, C&M International, helps influence policy and legislation throughout the legislative and administrative rulemaking processes.

About Crowell & Moring LLP

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 500 lawyers representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity. The firm has offices in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, London, and Brussels. Visit the firm online at www.crowell.com.