Monday 25 May 2026 16:31
US law firms are resolving some of London’s biggest legal disputes and placing themselves at the top of the litigation chain, according to a new report from consultancy Solomonic.
More than 100 US law firms “have established themselves as the go-to choice for London’s most complex, highest-value and most litigated disputes,” with some of the leading firms handling the largest number of claims.
Over the past decade, American law firms’ strategy in the city has been driven by “aggressive lateral hiring, lucrative salaries and rapid office growth,” all of which “signal a continued and deliberate investment in litigation in London.”
American companies also avoid smaller legal disputes and focus exclusively on the largest and highest-stakes lawsuits, selecting the most expensive cases.
According to the report, although only 4 per cent of all UK disputes over the last six years involved US legal groups, the average value of disputes was £10 million, thirteen times higher than the £740,000 value of overall UK litigation.
US companies “have not sought to compete in the full range of UK litigation – they have only targeted the most financially and strategically significant disputes,” the consultancy said.
“While US firms still represent a relatively small proportion of the overall litigation market, they are increasingly concentrated in the most financially important complex disputes,” the report said.
According to the report, the US firms most active in high-stakes City litigation between 2020 and 2025 were Cleary Gotlieb, Quinn Emanuel, Reed Smith, Jones Day, and Morgan Lewis, each of which was involved with more than 100 claims during the period.
Leading American firms Baker McKenzie and Scott & Scott followed closely behind, both filing 99 claims in the city over the past six years.
‘Aggressive’ litigator
Almost one in five, or around 20 per cent, of all high-value commercial claims brought before the London Commercial Court between 2023 and 2025 involve at least one law firm headquartered in the US.
Additionally, of all claims involving American companies in litigation in the UK, 21 percent made it to trial, compared with an average of only 9 percent of cases led by UK-based companies, which are more likely to choose to settle disputes.
Solomonic said this was “the most striking difference” between US firms and UK firms, which are “more likely to take claims to trial”, as American lawyers are known as belligerent litigators.
“US companies are considered to be more aggressive litigators, especially given their reputation in the US market and their increasing involvement in funding disputes, class actions and competition claims,” the consultancy said.
Practices in other countries are also leading the way in recruiting workers in the City, driven by a focus on building private capital teams.
According to figures released by legal recruiter Edwards Gibson, London law firms hired 668 partners so far this year, a 21 percent increase in data from the previous year, with the United States dominating the hiring increase.
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