The financial crisis triggered a surge in the number of disputes resolved by arbitration and mediation, with the UK performing well as a venue for hearing international cases, a study published this week found.

The study, by membership body TheCityUK, discloses that the number of arbitrations and mediations involving UK parties grew 82% in the two years from 2007 to 2009, to 29,244.

Disputes involving international parties heard in UK venues rose by 59% in the same period, to 5,297.

The report attributes the growth to the recession, and predicts that the opening of the new Business Property and Commercial Court in London will reinforce the UK’s position as a key international centre for litigation.

It also expects the Arbitration (Scotland) Act 2010, which introduces a codified set of arbitration rules, to make Scotland a venue of choice for conducting arbitrations.

Of the UK’s alternative dispute resolution venues, the London Court of Arbitration recorded the biggest increase in cases, more than doubling from 137 in 2007 to 285 in 2009.

The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution’s two-yearly audit found 6,000 mediations were conducted in the UK in 2009, up 66% on 2007.

As for the more traditional form of dispute resolution, the report shows that 1,259 claim forms were issued in the Commercial Court in 2009, 76% of which involved foreign parties.

Khawar Qureshi QC, chairman of TheCityUK’s legal services and dispute resolution group, said: ‘The report confirms London’s pre-eminent position for international business disputes. The data shows that the ADR sector has grown significantly in the aftermath of the financial crisis.’

He added: ‘In addition, the new state-of-the-art Business, Property and Commercial Court to be housed in the Rolls Building in London, scheduled to become operative in early summer 2011, will greatly enhance the UK’s attraction as an international centre for litigation.’

TheCityUK is an independent membership body promoting London’s financial and professional services overseas.