Currently, almost half (48 per cent) of claims made in the commercial court involve one party based outside of the UK. But in The Lawyer Litigation Top 50 2015, a number of top lawyers have urged the UK legal market to ‘wake up and smell the coffee’ regarding the capital’s changing position as the top disputes venue for international corporates. They stressed that lawyers and Government must not be complacent in the face of growing wealth and maturing litigation centres in the Middle and Far East.

‘Very important industry for Britain’

Hogan Lovells global litigation head Michael Davison said lawmakers must ‘realise the law is a very important industry for Britain and requires investment’, adding that, ‘Government makes a lot of money out of legal services but our court infrastructure still isn’t up to scratch.’

Singapore, Dubai and Qatar

White & Case London litigation head John Reynolds agreed, commenting that the business disputes-dedicated Rolls Building would not ‘tip the balance in favour of London’ in the face of stiff competition. Singapore’s arbitration centre, for example, has seen spectacular growth in recent years and the Singapore International Commercial Court was launched at the beginning of the year. Dubai and Qatar are also positioning themselves as rising centres for international arbitration. Source: The Lawyer