Clyde & Co topped a ranking for law firm litigation work in England and Wales by overall claim volumes in 2025 amid a jump in English High Court civil disputes, according to Solomonic’s latest commercial litigation trends report.
The fifth edition of the disputes data specialist’s annual report saw Clyde & Co retain top spot for the fourth year in a row, having worked on 192 claims overall, just ahead of DAC Beachcroft in second with 167 claims. DWF, Kennedys and Seddons GSC completed the top five, with the latter moving 13 places up the rankings, having worked on 103 claims in 2025 compared to 70 in 2024.
The biggest riser in the top 30 was Pinsent Masons, which climbed 17 places to 10th, having worked on 88 claims in 2025, up from 61 a year earlier. The biggest faller was Mills & Reeve, which dropped 15 places to 24th, working on 65 claims compared to 91 in 2024.
Overall, civil litigation claims volumes rose 7% compared to 2024, with 8,271 claims issued, the highest level since before 2020. That was driven by a rise in public sector disputes, which increased by more than 30%.
Banking and finance-related claims topped the list of active sectors (albeit down to 993 claims from 1,052 a year earlier), followed by public sector and professional services-related claims. The number of active claims also rose in 2025, edging up 0.9% to 19,133 claims.
Seddons topped the claimants ranking, moving up two places after its claimant case work increased 55% to 99 new cases. It knocked Clyde & Co off the top spot to second place. Kesar & Co was a new entrant in the claimants ranking, coming in joint third place alongside Hamlins, both working on 70 claims.
Meanwhile, DAC Beachcroft topped the defendants ranking, moving up two places and also dethroning Clyde & Co from the number one spot. Clyde & Co fell to fourth. Kennedys moved up three places to second, joint with DWF.
While the volume of claims in the Commercial Court fell compared to 2024, Andrew Williams, a partner at HFW and global head of commercial disputes, said the court’s global reputation means it remains a top choice for major cross-border matters.
He noted that median judgment values rose to nearly £40m in 2025, up from just over £10m the previous year, reflecting the court’s focus on “heavyweight litigation”.
New claim volumes in the Competition Appeal Tribunal also fell in 2025, hitting the lowest level since 2020, partly due to a slowdown in the second half of the year when just 12 claims were issued, compared to 37 in the first six months.
Solomonic noted that while the number of new collective proceedings slowed, 2025 did deliver the first major opt-out success against Apple.
In October, the tribunal ruled that Apple had abused its dominant position by “imposing exclusionary practices” and charging “excessive and unfair” fees on purchases of apps, app subscriptions and in-app purchases made by UK iPhone and iPad users, resulting in losses of around £1.5bn over a 10-year period.
However, the settlement of a claim brought on behalf of millions of consumers against Mastercard over alleged overcharging through card fees for just £200m in February last year underlined the challenges associated with bringing collective actions in the CAT.
Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]
