Insolvency boom and insurance battles shape 2025 court data
Commercial litigation activity in England and Wales rose sharply in 2025, with new High Court claims increasing by 7% compared with the previous year, according to the latest annual report from Solomonic.
The fifth edition of the Solomonic Year in Review analyses claim volumes across the High Court, the Competition Appeal Tribunal and, for the first time, the Court of Appeal. The data shows a busy year across the litigation landscape, driven in part by a significant rise in public sector disputes, which increased by more than 30%.
Insolvency actions reached record levels. More than 14,500 insolvency-related proceedings were filed in 2025, representing an 8.5% increase on 2024 and the highest annual total recorded in the report. Winding-up petitions in particular reached a new peak.
The report also tracks law firm market share. The top 15 firms accounted for 16.3% of the overall litigation market by claim volume, up from 16% the previous year. Solomonic’s annual rankings assess firms by total claims issued, involvement in high-value disputes and trial days, alongside a newly introduced “Commercial Powerhouse” ranking based on aggregated data metrics.
The analysis highlights several substantive trends. Class actions showed a marked slowdown compared with previous years. By contrast, insurance litigation arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine featured prominently among high-value disputes. The report also points to continued judicial management of Covid-19 business interruption (BI) claims, noting the courts’ handling of those cases during 2025.
Among the notable cases tracked were the billion-pound Brazilian dam litigation and a landmark artificial intelligence copyright dispute involving Stability AI. The report provides an overview of headline judgments and significant commercial claims that shaped the year.
In addition to quantitative data, the publication incorporates qualitative perspectives from more than 20 law firms. Drawing on Solomonic’s analytics, practitioners offer commentary on sector conditions and expectations for the year ahead.
The inclusion of Court of Appeal data in this edition broadens the scope of analysis, enabling assessment of trends beyond first-instance proceedings. Solomonic says the expanded dataset provides deeper insight into how commercial disputes progress through the appellate stage.
Overall, the findings indicate sustained growth in commercial litigation activity, increased insolvency-related work and evolving patterns in high-value and group claims across the courts of England and Wales.