The UK Family Law Report 2026, the 12th edition of the annual research report from IRN Legal Reports, forecasts steady growth for the sector, with a forecast of 6% growth in 2026 and a compound annual growth rate of 5.8% between 2025 and 2029. The market value is expected to reach £2.9 billion over the same period.
The annual value of the family law market reached an estimated £2.32 billion in 2025, representing market growth of 6.4% on the 2024 market value. Annual market value growth rates have been improving year-on-year since 2020.
Total cases started in the family court increased by 2.9% in 2025, reaching 270,474. Growth was driven by financial remedy cases (up 7.9%) and Children Act Private Law cases, which grew by 7.3%.
However, case completions slipped by 0.6% as court backlogs and delays continue to have an impact on timescales. A high level of litigants in person (LIPs) in some areas, including adoption, Private Children Act and domestic violence cases, means some cases are taking longer than if a legal professional was involved.
In volume terms, the market is dominated by general practice law firms where family law is part of a broader portfolio of consumer legal services. Some top 100 UK corporate law firms offer family law services to their high-net-worth clients while national consumer law firms, including Irwin Mitchell, Simpson Millar, Slater & Gordon, have family law teams.
There is also a relatively small group of specialist family law firms in the volume market, but they are increasing their market share. This group is led by Stowe Family Law with other key players including Raydens, amicable, and Family Law Partners.
The number of divorce petitions filed in 2025 fell to 109,817 in 2025, a decrease of 1.3% on 2024. The long-term trend has been for divorce petitions to fall. Almost all (96%) divorce petitions were filed digitally.
The number of domestic violence orders applied for – 36,376 – reached their highest level for a decade, at 36,376. Case completions rose by 11.4%.
Initiatives and legislative changes in 2026 include the rollout of Child Focused Courts (previously named Pathfinder Courts) across all of England and Wales; another extension of the mediation voucher scheme to end-March 2027; repeal of the presumption of parental involvement; and an expected consultation on co-habitation reforms.
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