England and Wales: global legal centre

Tested and proven to work

English law facilitates a large amount of commercial activity across many sectors.

It is the governing law of choice for international transactions. It has been tested and proven to work.

According to groundbreaking research by Oxera for LegalUK, English law likely governs at least:

Predictable

English law is predictable because:

• it’s based on past precedent
• our judiciary take a non-interventionist approach

English law respects the principle of freedom of contract and party autonomy. This means parties can freely choose their contractual rights and obligations.

Our judges assess disputes based on the terms of the written contract between parties. Unlike judges in many other jurisdictions, they do not enforce a general duty of good faith.

Clients can rely on established case law to predict the most likely outcome of their dispute. This applies to many sectors such as oil and gas, and financial services.

For example, between 2008 and 2018 there have been over 100 decisions in English courts on the interpretation of International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) master agreements, allowing clients to confidently predict how courts will apply the terms of their ISDA agreements.

Flexible

English law naturally evolves to support new areas of commercial activity. This is because it’s based on precedent.

Other jurisdictions need legislation for any change in the law.

An example is the rapid evolution of English law on digital assets.

Our judges

English High Court judges have an international reputation for their quality, independence and professionalism.

Judges follow the core principles of independence, impartiality and integrity.

In England and Wales, judges are highly qualified and skilled specialists. They have a strong commercial understanding of the law. They develop this over years or decades working as a solicitor or barrister.

Candidates need at least five years of post-qualification experience to become a judge, and there is a rigorous selection process through the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC).

Commercial court judges are well-versed in disputes involving international clients.

Between October 2023 and September 2024, 75% of cases in the Commercial Court were international in nature.

Our commercial court

The London Commercial Court (LCC) is the leading centre for international parties seeking a trustworthy and reliable forum to resolve their disputes.

The LCC has a strong track record of resolving disputes quickly and efficiently.

54% of contested trials across the LCC were concluded within just four working days between October 2023 and September 2024, according to the 2024 JAC Commercial Court report.

61.7% of parties in LCC cases between April 2024 and March 2025 came from jurisdictions outside the UK, according to Portland’s 2025 Commercial Court Report.

If parties have an exclusive jurisdiction clause, UK court judgments can be recognised and enforced in the EU, Denmark, Mexico and Singapore.

Businesses can feel confident that if they win a case in the UK, the judgment will be respected and enforced in these other jurisdictions.

Other features that make the LCC an attractive centre for dispute resolution include:

• winning parties can recover their legal costs, which is not an option in other jurisdictions
• quick interim relief
• no unpredictable jury trials
• no punitive damages

Our legal services sector

Thanks to the open regulatory framework in England and Wales, London is home to more than 200 foreign law firms from around 40 jurisdictions.

This includes all 40 of the world’s largest law firms.

Clients can find solicitors who specialise every area of law, however small or niche, and all legal aspects of transactions. For example, mergers and acquisitions, securities and financing.

London also attracts technical experts and consultants in every field, from construction to art forgery.

Commercial arbitration

The London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) is one of the leading international centres for commercial arbitration.

The centre:

• consistently administers more cases per year (based on the appointment of arbitrators) than comparable bodies in other jurisdictions
• has a well-developed body of case law to deal with cross-border disputes. In 2024, 95% of cases involved at least one international party
• made 455 new appointments of arbitrators in 2024, compared to 385 in Singapore and 211 in Stockholm

In 2024, London received 96 of the 841 new cases filed under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Arbitration Rules.

Find out more about International Chamber of Commerce dispute resolution.

Maritime arbitration

The London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA) is the leading global forum for dispute resolution in the shipping sector.

It has a reach extending across the maritime sector, international trade and offshore energy.

In 2024, the LMAA's members and affiliated arbitrators saw an estimated 1,733 new cases. This is down from 1,845 in 2023, but London remains the leading global centre for maritime arbitration.

Parties also made an estimated 3,006 appointments of arbitrators in LMAA cases in 2024.

Trade arbitration

The Grain and Feed Trade Association (Gafta) is a London-based trade association.

Its contracts govern approximately 80% of global trade in grains.

In 2024, GAFTA's members received 301 referrals for their services.

Hundreds of trade arbitrations are held in London each year and governed by English law. These are administered by the:

• London Metal Exchange
• Federation of Oil, Seeds and Fats Associations
• International Cotton Association
• British Coffee Association
• Refined Sugar Association