header-logo header-logo

11 December 2024
Issue: 8098 / Categories: Legal News , Legal services , Technology
printer mail-detail

Lawyers provide multi-billion-pound boost to UK economy

UK law is flourishing, with the value of legal services exports rising nearly 40% in two years from £6.7bn in 2021 to £9.5bn in 2023, according to Law Society analysis of Office for National Statistics figures.

Law Society president Richard Atkinson said the growth reflects ‘the high regard and the pivotal role that English and Welsh solicitors play in providing world-class legal services to global clients’.

A report by TheCityUK, ‘UK legal services 2024’, also published this week, notes legal services in the UK generated more than £47bn in revenue in 2023, a 7.7% year-on-year increase. In 2010, for comparison, UK legal generated just over £25bn.

It reports the UK is a global hub for lawtech with 356 companies operating in the sector, and is home to 44% of all EU lawtech start-ups.

Another trend is the growth in numbers of corporate counsel, with 35,738 solicitors (about one in five) now working in-house. 

Issue: 8098 / Categories: Legal News , Legal services , Technology
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: John McElroy, London Solicitors Litigation Association

NLJ Career Profile: John McElroy, London Solicitors Litigation Association

From first-generation student to trailblazing president of the London Solicitors Litigation Association, John McElroy of Fieldfisher reflects on resilience, identity and the power of bringing your whole self to the law

Clarke Willmott—Elaine Field

Clarke Willmott—Elaine Field

Planning and environment team expands with partner hire in Manchester

Birketts—Barbara Hamilton-Bruce

Birketts—Barbara Hamilton-Bruce

Firm appoints chief operating officer to strengthen leadership team

NEWS
A landmark Supreme Court ruling has underscored the sweeping reach of UK sanctions. In NLJ this week, Brónagh Adams and Harriet Campbell of Penningtons Manches Cooper say the regime is a ‘blunt instrument’ requiring only a factual, not causal, link to restricted goods
Fraud claims are surging, with England and Wales increasingly the forum of choice for global disputes. Writing in NLJ this week, Jon Felce of Cooke, Young & Keidan reports claims have risen sharply, with fraud now a major share of litigation and costing billions worldwide
Litigators digesting Mazur are being urged to tighten oversight and compliance. In his latest 'Insider' column for NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School provides a cut out and keep guide to the ruling’s core test: whether an unauthorised individual is ‘in truth acting on behalf of the authorised individual’
Conflicting county court rulings have left landlords uncertain over whether they can force entry after tenants refuse access. In this week's NLJ, Edward Blakeney and Ashpen Rajah of Falcon Chambers outline a split: some judges permit it under CPR 70.2A, others insist only Parliament can authorise such powers
A wave of scandals has reignited debate over misconduct in public office, criticised as unclear and inconsistently applied. Writing in NLJ this week, Alice Lepeuple of WilmerHale says the offence’s ‘vagueness, overbreadth & inconsistent deployment’ have undermined confidence
back-to-top-scroll