Legal services in the United Kingdom

[5] This was the strongest growth rate in six years and was supported by the recovery of the UK's financial and business sector, the increase in housing market activity and the strong exports in legal services.

A continued recovery in the wider economy and financial markets have led to the forecasting of additional growth in the coming years.

[8] The merger of City law firms Clifford Turner and Coward Chance in 1987 to form Clifford Chance was the world's largest law firm merger in history at the time it took place,[9] and sparked a wave of consolidation and internationalisation in the European legal services market.

[10][11] Significant mergers between British law firms over the next 15 years included the merger of: Lovell, White & King and Durrant Piesse in 1987;[12] Pinsent & Co and Simpson Curtis in 1995;[13] Nabarro Nathanson and Turner Kenneth Brown in 1995;[13] Dibb Lupton Broomhead and Alsop Wilkinson in 1996;[13] Addleshaw Sons & Latham and Booth & Co. in 1996;[13] McKenna & Co and Cameron Markby Hewitt in 1997;[14] Hammond Suddards and Edge Ellison in 2000;[15] and Pinsent Curtis and Biddle in 2001.

[17] QualitySolicitors, a grouping of British law firms forming the first national chain of solicitors in the UK, was founded in 2008.

[21][22] There has been a further wave of large mergers involving UK-based law firms since 2010, including of Lovells and the US-based Hogan & Hartson in May 2010 (forming Hogan Lovells);[23] Barlow Lyde & Gilbert and Clyde & Co in November 2011;[24] Beachcroft and Davies Arnold Cooper in November 2011 (forming DAC Beachcroft);[25][26] Herbert Smith and the Australia-based Freehills in October 2012 (forming Herbert Smith Freehills);[27] Norton Rose and the US-based Fulbright & Jaworski in June 2013 (forming Norton Rose Fulbright);[28] Ashurst and the Australia-based Blake Dawson in November 2013;[29] and SJ Berwin and the Hong Kong-based King & Wood Mallesons in November 2013.

[35] These can broadly be defined as law firms which: have offices in central London; are among the 100 largest law firms operating in the UK; have high average profits per partner; provide services relating to corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and financial services; and whose clients include large corporates and financial institutions.

[35] There is less consensus regarding the membership of this group but firms commonly described as members include: Ashurst, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hogan Lovells, Macfarlanes, Norton Rose Fulbright, Simmons and Simmons and Travers Smith.

[35] There are a large number of US-based law firms with offices in London; there are 29 American law firms which have a London office which had 2012 revenues of over US$40 million, and 14 with revenues of over US$100 million (Baker & McKenzie, White & Case, Latham & Watkins, Reed Smith, Skadden, Squire Patton Boggs, Morgan Lewis and Bockius, Mayer Brown, Kirkland & Ellis, Dechert, Shearman & Sterling, Weil Gotshal, Cleary Gottlieb, Jones Day and Sullivan & Cromwell).

These firms tend to have a broad range of clients, including public sector bodies, government departments, universities, local authorities, companies and financial institutions.

[45][46] This technology trend coupled with changes in British law to introduce Alternative Business Structures to help make legal advice accessible to more people[47] has seen a growing number of technology enabled startups providing legal comparison services similar to those available for tradespeople, energy, insurance and finance which combine ratings, price and trust to assist consumers in selecting good law firms.

Its purpose is "to set, promote and secure in the public interest standards of behaviour and professional performance necessary to ensure that clients receive a good service and that the rule of law is upheld".