Santamarina + Steta is pleased to announce the release of its Legal Services Trends Study 2025. The newly published white paper reports on Mexico’s legal landscape through the voices of 150+ Chief Legal Officers from companies of different sizes and sectors.
The legal trends study in Mexico, based on Santamarina y Steta’s Chief Legal Officers Survey 2025, examines what CLOs are saying about Mexico’s judiciary and how legal leaders are interpreting and responding to the convergence of the forces shaping 2025: Nearshoring, judicial reform, and digital transformation. This peer-validated whitepaper presents timely insights and strategic intelligence into the opportunities driven by nearshoring and the uncertainties surrounding the upcoming judicial reform. The report also reveals how legal areas are evolving to become central players in competitiveness, risk management, and business sustainability.
According to the report’s findings, digital acceleration, Mexico’s recent judicial reform, and nearshoring, driven by supply chain relocation, are the three factors shaping how companies design their strategies and placing the legal function at the center of corporate decision-making. The whitepaper draws on perspectives from large, mid-sized, and micro businesses across industries to reveal the priorities, emerging risks, and trends shaping the role of corporate legal departments.
Santamarina + Steta’s legal trends study 2025 confirms a continued shift toward legal functions operating with greater agility and precision to anticipate legal risks and navigate uncertainty. It provides a strategic perspective on the opportunities and top legal risks facing businesses in Mexico in 2025 and beyond, as regulation, oversight, and innovation continue to shape the legal landscape.
One of the key insights from the study reveals that, despite company size determining legal priorities, 66% of companies say they plan to strengthen their compliance and internal control programs. While large businesses focus on tax, compliance, oversight, and risk management, small businesses prioritize administrative and labor issues, and mid-size companies have a more balanced approach. This signals a shift toward internal control, efficiency, and adaptability in the face of an ever-evolving regulatory framework.
The newly published report also reveals that 78% of businesses expect sustained growth from nearshoring and the relocation of operations. However, the CLOs surveyed raised three main legal concerns around nearshoring: regulatory certainty, validity and enforcement of free-trade agreements, and the availability of legal infrastructure. Santamarina + Steta explains in the report that these findings highlight the need for legal certainty and clarity in Mexico’s rapidly evolving investment environment.
Another important finding from the report involves Mexico’s judicial reform, which is emerging as one of the most disruptive changes in the corporate legal landscape. 62% anticipate an increase in legal complexity due to the judicial reform, while others predict that legal costs will increase. As a result, legal teams are investing in training in new regulations and adopting multiple strategies to keep up.
Moreover, as digitalization defines Mexico’s legal agenda in 2025 and beyond, companies are prioritizing international expansion, digital transformation, and tax and labor compliance. The Santamarina y Steta Chief Legal Officers Survey 2025 reveals that companies consider this the direct path to competitiveness, tying back to the need for legal departments to transform themselves into strategic business partners, not just simple guardians of compliance.
The release of this white paper marks another milestone achievement for Santamarina + Steta as the firm continues to set the benchmark for the corporate legal landscape. The full results of the Chief Legal Officer Survey 2025, a detailed breakdown of CLO perceptions of Mexico’s legal trends, plus the proprietary White Paper, are now available for download on the Chief Legal Officer Survey 2025, Legal Trends Study in Mexico page on the Santamarina + Steta website.
About Santamarina + Steta:
Santamarina + Steta (Santamarina y Steta) is a Mexican law firm specializing in corporate and transactional advice for national and international clients across industries. With over 75 years of service and expertise, Santamarina + Steta has established itself as a trusted partner for its clients. The law firm has also been a key player in Mexico’s industrialization, trade liberalization, economic and technological development.
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Company Name: Santamarina + Steta
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Country: Mexico
Website: https://www.santamarinasteta.mx/es/
