The Landscape of Law Firms in the UK

Lily Ruaah,
 Updated: 5 March 2026
Table of contents

Over the years, there’s been a steady increase in law firms in the UK. In 2025 numbers grew to 44.5k active law firms, with 4,112 foundations. If we compare this to a decade ago, in 2015 there were just 33.1k active law firms, marking a 34% increase in the number of law firms over the past ten years.

Out of those companies, 1,171 are actively hiring — and out of those actively hiring, 441 hit one of Beauhurst’s Growth Signals. That’s almost 500 active law firms in the UK that are experiencing growth and looking for talent to support that.

Overall, law firms in the UK employ 734k people, with an average 30 people per law firm.

In this article, we look at the UK’s fastest-scaling UK law firms.

Methodology

Law firms are required to have an active corporate M&A practice, employ more than 100 staff, and demonstrate a minimum year-on-year headcount growth of 10% over the past 12 months.

Firms meeting all eligibility requirements were included in the final sample. The shortlisted firms were then ranked according to their percentage increase in headcount, with higher growth rates receiving a higher ranking.

Legal Adviser Power List 2025

In this report, we identify the law firms and advisers most active across the UK’s high-value deal landscape in 2025.
Read the report

The standout, fast-scaling UK law firms​

10.

Roythornes Solicitors
Nottingham

Employee growth: 14%
Employee count: 285

Roythornes Solicitors has shown outstanding scale and momentum, with turnover more than doubling from £18.6m in 2021 to £41.2m in 2024, while sustaining a strong operating margin of around 21%. The firm recently appointed a new CEO in April 2025, bringing a banking background to the leadership team, and the continued its expansion of its Birmingham presence following its office launch in 2022.

09.

RWK Goodman
Bath

Employee growth: 14.2%
Employee count: 579

RWK Goodman is a large and well-established legal services firm, generating £50.4m in turnover and employing 579 people. The firm has delivered consistent growth, including a reported 26% increase in revenue in recent coverage, and has expanded significantly from 421 employees in 2021 to its current scale.

08.

Flint Bishop
Derby

Employee growth: 15%
Employee count: 222

Flint Bishop is a Derby-based law firm employing 222 people and delivering strong financial performance. In its latest accounts, the firm reported £20.9m in turnover and £4.2m in operating profit, reflecting sustained growth over the past five years. Revenue has increased from £15.5m in 2020 to £20.9m in 2024.

07.

Redkite Solicitors
Cardiff

Employee growth: 20.7%
Employee count: 239

Redkite Solicitors has demonstrated strong scale-up momentum, expanding its workforce from 149 to 239 employees between 2021 and 2024 and delivering £10.4m in turnover in its latest accounts. The firm has pursued an active growth strategy, underpinned by multiple acquisitions and a series of senior leadership appointments, including the introduction of a Chief Experience Officer, Jeff Wright, in September 2025.

06.

Mills & Reeve
London

Employee growth: 22.9%
Employee count: 1154

Mills & Reeve is a national law firm headquartered in London, employing over 1,150 people and generating £171m in turnover in its most recent financials. The firm has delivered consistent growth, with revenue rising by 15% from £149m in 2023, alongside strong profitability reflected in £62.2m of operating profit.

05.

Gilson Gray
Edinburgh

Employee growth: 44.4%
Employee count: 351

Gilson Gray is one of the UK’s fastest-growing law firms — turnover increased sharply from £12.6m in 2021 to £32.0m in 2024, while headcount expanded from 97 to 351 over the same period. The firm has pursued an aggressive growth strategy through strategic senior hires, adding multiple new partners across dispute resolution, family law, and conveyancing during 2025–2026.

04.

Lawfront
London

Employee growth: 97.4%
Employee count: 529

Lawfront has shown exceptional growth, scaling from £5.53m to £47.2m turnover in just two years (2022–2024), while expanding its workforce from 147 to 529 employees. The company has rapidly progressed through evolution stages from Seed to Growth phase since its 2021 incorporation and has recently completed multiple acquisitions including Trethowans in a £130m deal, positioning it as a significant consolidator in the legal services industry.

03.

Smith Partnership
Derby

Employee growth: 532%
Employee count: 177

Smith Partnership is a Derby-based law firm showing outstanding growth, reporting £12.2m in turnover and £3.09m in operating profit in its latest accounts to March 2025. The firm has undergone rapid expansion, increasing its workforce from 28 to 177 employees over the year to March 2025.

02.

Pinsent Masons
London

Employee growth: 686%
Employee count: 1697

Pinsent Masons is a major international law firm with significant global scale, employing over 1,600 people and generating £516m in turnover in 2024. The firm has delivered sustained growth over multiple years, with revenues rising from £392m in 2020 to £516m in 2024. Beyond core legal services, Pinsent Masons demonstrates innovation and strategic investment, having secured £202k in R&D grant funding for initiatives including ESG innovation and prostate cancer diagnostics.

01.

DWF
Manchester

Employee growth: 875%
Employee count: 273

DWF employs 273 people and reported £50m in turnover in its most recent financial statement. The company has an extensive corporate structure with over 50 subsidiaries and a complex director history. The firm offers a mix of legal services, legal operations and business services across multiple industries.

Discover our data.

Get access to unrivalled data on the companies you need to know about, so you can approach the right leads, at the right time.

Schedule a conversation today to see all of the key features of the Beauhurst platform, as well as the depth and breadth of data available.

We’ll work with you to build a sophisticated search, returning a dynamic list of organisations that match your ideal customer profile.

Beauhurst Privacy Policy