London’s litigation market is proving resilient in the face of economic uncertainty, with disputes partner hires outpacing last year’s total by August 2025, according to research by legal recruiter Macrae.
The firm’s Litigation in London: 2020-2024 in Review & 2025 Year to Date report reveals there were 35 disputes partner moves in 2025 as of this August between top firms, surpassing the 34 recorded in all of 2024.
“Partner hiring has remained deliberate rather than opportunistic,” the report notes, underscoring firms’ focus on long-term strategy rather than short-term cycles, reflecting steady growth. The report finds partner mobility has ranged between 25 and 45 moves annually since 2020, rising from 22 moves in 2020 to 35 in 2025 YTD.
The report tracks hiring in London by the top 15 UK law firms and the top 50 US firms.
Some 83% of this year’s moves were partner lateral hires, 14% were promoted to partner on their arrival and 3% involved in-house lawyers moving back to private practice. The report concludes that “firms still place a premium on portable business and proven track records”.
It adds: “Leavers continue to come from a broader mix of firms, though the gravitational pull of top US and global firms remains clear, mirroring dynamics seen in transactional markets.”
Firms seen as particularly active in the London disputes hiring market include Clyde & Co, with a net increase of four disputes partners, as well as CMS, Jones Day, Pinsent Masons and White & Case, each of which added net gains of three partners across 2025.
At the core of law firm strategies is investment in two main pillars: intellectual property disputes and the ongoing expansion of international arbitration.
IP disputes recruitment has surged, accounting for 23% of partner moves this year, and 17% of partner moves in 2020-2024. This reflects London’s expertise in cutting-edge litigation, including the AI-related dispute between Getty Images and Stability AI, which is now pending judgment and raises issues over patentability and copyright.
International arbitration remains a key driver of disputes hires, making up 17% of hires this year and 19% of all hires over the past four years. This trend has been supported by recent legislative changes that strengthen London’s role as a centre for global dispute resolution and the prominence of English law in resolving business disputes, particularly amid rising geopolitical tensions.
The report extensively highlights key moves covered by this title, such as Norton Rose Fulbright’s appointment of Duncan Bagshaw, as evidence of these trends.
Product liability and class action hires are also gaining momentum, driven by ESG and consumer litigation, while Macrae also found banking and insurance disputes “provided steady sources of hiring, supported by ongoing regulatory scrutiny and market volatility”.
Diversity, however, appears to be in decline. Women now constitute 31% of litigation partners, down from a peak of 46% in 2022, and they made up only 28% of the movers in 2025 so far.
The report warns that maintaining consistent representation across lateral and promotion pathways for female disputes lawyers remains a challenge, “particularly as external promotions remain comparatively rare”.
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