Solomonic, as the UK’s most comprehensive commercial litigation database, has compiled a review of the 2021 year in commercial litigation in the High Court. The report reveals new insights into the second year of the pandemic and how it played out in terms of new commercial disputes.

Solomonic analysis concludes, despite challenges presented by the pandemic, new claim activity in the High Court finished almost on a par with 2020.

By the end of Q3 2021, a total of almost 4,000 disputes had been brought to the High Court. Despite the easing of pandemic restrictions, this is a decrease in claim volume compared to the same period last year, although still higher than 2019.

Covid-19 has had a hugely disruptive impact in many areas of the economy and generated a great deal of speculation about the state of the disputes sector and forecast growth in claims originating from Covid and its consequences.

We take a look back on the first 4 months of 2021 (Jan-Apr), a year poised to reflect not only the early days of litigation in post-Brexit Britain, but also the road to recovery from Covid-19 and its economic impacts.

We know that data can tell a story. We’ve created visual races between the top law firms based on the number of claims brought - and defended - across 2020.