Trade friction is back in focus as uncertainty around President Trump’s tariff plans and the prospect of higher import costs unsettle corporate budgets for 2026. While some companies face rising bills and compliance headaches, others in legal services and compliance solutions stand to see greater demand as businesses look for help with duties, refund claims and enforcement risks. This article explains how this trade tension could affect a select group of legal and compliance stocks. It also highlights 3 stocks from our screener that appear positively exposed to the latest policy developments.

BlackLine (BL)

Overview: BlackLine is a cloud software company that helps finance teams automate routine accounting work, from account reconciliations and transaction matching to journal entries and compliance, so that month end close and reporting are faster and more accurate for large and mid sized enterprises.

Operations: BlackLine generates about US$716.7 million in revenue from software and programming, with roughly US$490.6 million coming from the United States and US$226.1 million from international customers.

Market Cap: US$1.75b

BlackLine gives investors exposure to accounting automation and AI enabled finance tools that are becoming more important as tariffs, trade rules and cross border flows get more complex. Its platform helps customers manage intercompany transactions, compliance and working capital, which can be valuable when new duties, refund claims and enforcement risks threaten margins. Recent product launches around AI governance and real time controls suggest the company is leaning into this need, even as high debt levels, a rich P/E multiple and slower revenue growth than the wider US market ask investors to be disciplined about price and execution risk.

BlackLine’s push into AI enabled controls and intercompany compliance could be more important than its headline P/E suggests, so it is worth seeing how that story lines up against the 2 key rewards and 2 important warning signs

Nuix (ASX:NXL)

Overview: Nuix (ASX:NXL) provides software that helps government agencies, regulators, corporates and law firms search, analyze and manage huge volumes of data to support investigations, eDiscovery, data privacy, cyber security and legal matters.

Operations: Nuix generates about A$237.5 million in revenue from software and programming, with roughly A$121.9 million from the Americas, A$44.7 million from Asia Pacific and A$70.9 million from Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Market Cap: A$423.4 million

Nuix is tightly linked to the surge in legal and regulatory workloads from complex trade rules, cross border data flows and potential disputes about tariffs and duty refunds, as its Neo platform and eDiscovery tools are built to sift through messy datasets at speed. Analysts expect solid growth in both revenue and earnings, yet the stock is priced below some fair value estimates, which may appeal to investors who see ongoing demand for compliance and investigations software as trade frictions persist. The flip side is meaningful non operational legal costs, restructuring charges and reliance on external borrowings, alongside board changes such as Sir Iain Lobban stepping back later in 2026. Understanding how those moving parts fit together is crucial to judging whether Nuix’s reset is an opportunity or a value trap.

Nuix’s reset story mixes restructuring noise with software that sits directly in the path of rising compliance work, so it is worth reading the 3 key rewards and 1 important warning sign before deciding what might be hiding in plain sight

LegalZoom.com (LZ)

Overview: LegalZoom.com is an online legal platform that helps small businesses and consumers in the United States handle tasks such as business formation, trademarks, copyrights, contracts, and estate planning without needing to build a traditional law firm relationship from scratch.

Operations: LegalZoom.com generates about US$779.7 million in revenue primarily from its online business formation and related services platform.

Market Cap: US$1.19b

LegalZoom.com sits at the intersection of rising legal and compliance workloads and a clear shift toward online, subscription based support, which is especially relevant as tariffs, refunds on disputed duties and tighter enforcement push more small businesses to seek affordable help. The company is focusing on higher value subscriptions and concierge style services, supported by AI partnerships and product upgrades such as its Virtual Mail offering, while also returning capital through share buybacks. At the same time, pressure on profit margins, intense competition and regulatory scrutiny around how far a tech platform can go into legal advice keep the risk side significant. The key question is how those subscription growth ambitions compare with these constraints and what that means for valuation and future returns.

LegalZoom.com’s shift toward higher value subscriptions and AI powered services could be masking a very different earnings profile than headline margins suggest. It is worth checking the analyst forecasts for LegalZoom.com to see what the market may be missing.

The three stocks in this article are just a starting point, and the full screener has surfaced 38 more companies in the legal and compliance space with equally compelling narratives inside the Legal Services and Compliance Solutions Providers screener. By using Simply Wall St, you can identify and analyze the specific catalysts, risk factors and business narratives that matter most to you, so you can focus on the highest conviction opportunities in this theme.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.