The number of solicitors working in-house has risen ‘significantly’ in the past decade, amid a UK-wide boost in legal services output
UK legal services are doing well, according to financial and professional services body TheCityUK’s 10th annual legal services report, published last week, Legal excellence, internationally renowned: UK legal services 2021. The upward trend includes a boost in corporate counsel. Nearly a quarter (24%) of all solicitors in England and Wales (more than 31,000 people) worked in-house in 2020, up from 16% a decade ago. The trend was mirrored in Scotland, with 32% of solicitors working in-house, compared to 22% in 2010.
The top 100 law firms have also grown headcount, with year-on-year growth of 3% and total employment (including partners) now exceeding 77,000.
More number-crunching shows about 365,000 people were employed in legal services in 2020, two-thirds of them based outside of London―including 14,000 in Manchester, 9,000 each in Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds, and 7,000 each in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Liverpool.
Globally, the UK legal services market, worth £36.8bn in 2019, is second only to the US. This is helped by the fact English common law forms the basis of the legal systems for 27% of the world’s 320 jurisdictions, as well as the UK’s strong reputation for international dispute resolution.
Miles Celic, chief executive officer, TheCityUK, said: ‘The sustained trend towards companies deepening their in-house legal capacity demonstrates how vital legal expertise is to the success of globally competitive businesses.
‘Supported by the continued growth of leading UK-based law firms, which provide unparalleled training and experience to young lawyers, the UK is able to maintain deep pools of legal talent and retain its status as one of the world’s leading centres for legal services and dispute resolution. The sector remains a trump card in the UK’s wider competitive offer as a global hub for financial and related professiona
