Together with the accounting sector, legal services contributed an estimated £30.9bn in tax to the public coffers in 2023, up from £20.5bn in 2020.
In 2024, UK-based legal services contributed a record £38bn to the UK economy, up more than 3% on the previous year, and employed 364,000 people with two thirds of these based outside London. The figures are contained in professional services lobby group TheCityUK’s report, 'UK legal services 2025: legal excellence, internationally renowned', produced in partnership with Barclays.
The UK has the second largest legal services market in the world after the US, and hosts offices for more than 200 foreign law firms from about 40 jurisdictions.
London is the most popular seat for international commercial arbitration ‘by a wide margin’, the report, published this week, states. For example, more than 80% of the world’s maritime arbitrations are handled in London.
UK lawyers are also popular overseas. In 2025, more than 9,000 solicitors of England and Wales and 800 solicitors of Scotland were working outside the UK. Barristers’ chambers, particularly commercial sets, are establishing a permanent presence in locations such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, New York, Doha and Geneva.
Miles Celic, chief executive officer, TheCityUK, said: 'The UK’s global reputation as a centre for justice and the rule of law is fundamental to its status as a world-leading international financial centre.
