Top U.K. law firm partners are charging clients more than £1,000 ($1,300) per hour, a 40% rise since 2019 driven by fierce competition from U.S. counterparts and inflation.

The U.K. still lags behind the elite U.S. firms, however, which bill more than $2,000 per hour, according to the 2024 annual law firm survey released by accountants PwC today.