UK legal services exports rose 8.8% to £10.97bn in 2025, according to figures assembled by the Law Society of England and Wales, as international work continued to underpin the sector’s growth.
That was £4.16bn higher than the £6.81bn recorded in 2021, an increase of more than 60% over five years. The EU and US together accounted for £6.88bn – or 63% – of exports, contributing £3.67bn and £3.21bn respectively.
The figures form part of a recent Law Society International Data Insights report on the use of English law and London’s position as a centre for legal services and dispute resolution, with major City and national law firms the chief beneficiaries.
Overall turnover at solicitor firms in England and Wales rose 8% to £37.14bn in 2025, in line with past figures; official national statistics previously indicated that UK legal services exports had increased by about 40% between 2021 and 2023.
Of nearly 10,000 firms, 80 reported turnover above £100m. Together, they generated £20.9bn – or 56% – of the profession’s turnover. They also employed 37,981 solicitors, representing 36% of the solicitor workforce.
A further 304 firms with turnover between £10m and £99m generated £8.4bn, or 23% of total turnover, and employed 28,459 solicitors – 27% of the workforce. By number of firms, 25% turned over between £1m and £9m, 51% between £100k and £999k and 19% below £100k.
Mark Evans, president of the Law Society, said: “The UK’s legal services are a major global success story. Exports are nearing £11bn, and English law underpins trillions of pounds of international commerce. London remains a leading legal destination.”
Evans, who steps down from the presidency later this month, described the sector as “an export powerhouse contributing billions to the UK economy and employing more than half a million people”. He warned: “But international leadership cannot be taken for granted. Other jurisdictions are investing fast and furiously in their court and legal infrastructure.”
The report cited English law’s role in transactions beyond the legal sector. It says English law governs £250trn of global derivatives transactions, half of international seaborne trade and about 40% of international business and financial transactions.
In 2025, it also accounted for 28% of global agricultural trade and £73bn to £83bn of the insurance market. UK court-approved schemes of arrangement have covered £22.5bn of global assets since 2006.
Dispute resolution figures reflect the scale of London’s international caseload, building on previous years.
Around 30% of claims issued in the Commercial Court related to arbitration, including applications for anti-suit injunctions, enforcement of awards and appointment of arbitrators. It also delivered 212 written judgments in 2025, compared with 117 at the Civil and Commercial Division of the Dubai International Financial Centre, 89 at the Qatar International Court, 78 at the New York Commercial Division, 64 at the Astana International Financial Centre and 37 at the Singapore International Commercial Court.
Judgment totals, however, measure court output rather than the overall volume or value of disputes.
At the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), 96% of cases in 2025 involved at least one non-UK party, while English law governed 79% of its cases.
English law was also the most frequently selected governing law in International Chamber of Commerce arbitration, applying in 113 new cases (13%).
New York law was second with 64 cases, or 7.2%, followed by Brazilian law at 6%, Swiss law at 5.6%, German law at 5.4% and French law at 4.9%.
At the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, English law governed 28% of cases in 2025, behind Singapore law at 52%.
London’s maritime arbitration caseload also increased. London Maritime Arbitrators Association members and other arbitrators received an estimated 2,015 new cases in 2025, up 16% from 1,733 in 2024. The 2025 total was the highest the LMAA has recorded since 2014.
Kirsty Brimelow KC, chair of the Bar Council, said: “The data supports the importance of law and barristers to the UK economy. They make a substantial contribution.”
She added that “international success must be matched by sustained investment in our publicly funded courts and justice system”, and called on ministers “to invest properly in the publicly funded Bar and look at its value in the context of legal services as a whole”.
Brimelow also linked investment in the justice system to professional contributions to the economy: “If the argument for access to justice for citizens is not compelling enough to HM Treasury, the financial case is irrefutable.”
She cited recent visits to Japan, Korea and India, where “we received clear collegiate support and collaboration, built on the trust in and respect for English and Welsh law and barristers”.
Colin Passmore KC, chair of the City of London Law Society, said English law and London’s courts were “the world’s default choice for resolving international disputes and structuring international business”.
He added: “That leadership is real, but we must stay confident without becoming complacent while other legal capitals invest heavily to catch up.”
Passmore urged government, industry bodies, leading firms and legaltech start-ups to work together to support the City of London’s position in the UK economy. The data comes as London International Disputes Week seeks hosts for its International Arbitration Day in 2027 and the second edition of London Arbitration Week opens for registrations.
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