UK legal exports hit a record £11bn as London's commercial courts outpace Dubai and New York

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026.

London's legal sector has smashed export records, with overseas revenues surging 60 per cent in five years from £6.81bn in 2021 to £10.97bn in 2025, according to new Law Society data. English law now governs £250tn in outstanding global derivatives and underpins half the world's seaborne trade. Close to two-thirds of that export revenue is generated by the EU and the US combined.

London's Commercial Court issued 212 written judgments in 2025 — a figure nearly double that of second-placed Dubai.

A striking 96 per cent of cases handled by the London Court of International Arbitration involved at least one non-UK party.

Law Society president Mark Evans said the sector 'can unleash its full horsepower' with the right steps from the UK government.