The study provides case study information about the impact of regulatory problems and the gains from legal preparedness in recent response operations. The information presented in this paper is made of both original research and secondary data review (including IFRC literature). The present paper has made use in particular of two forthcoming reports sponsored by the IFRC as a starting point to build original evidence, namely the “Consultancy on Regulatory Issues in Recent International Disaster Response Operations” and “The Regulation of Foreign Medical Teams in the Aftermath of Sudden Onset Natural Disasters”. The paper is organised according to the structure initially used by the IFRC in its 2007 desk study used to inform discussions on the draft IDRL Guidelines at the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. In particular, it covers the different areas of focus of the recommendations in the IDRL Guidelines.