Gordons’ rebrand to stay ahead of the pack

The law firm said annual turnover increased by more than eight per cent to £25.3m in the year ending April 2012.

Gordons, which is one of the most profitable law firms in Britain, said it was too early to reveal profits for the period.

An industry survey said in the previous year, the nine equity partners took home an average of £917,300 each, but Paul Ayre, the managing partner, said this figure was misleading because it did not take into account five junior equity partners.

He said the new branding is designed to “communicate the Gordons message with greater clarity, consistency and volume”.

He told the Yorkshire Post: “We had a good year with growth of 8.4 per cent. We anticipate that should pass to profits in a positive way.

“We are known as a financially successful law firm. I would be pointing to the way we run it – our base costs are significantly below the sector average, we are non-hierarchichal and we run a lean operation.” The firm passes this on to clients in lower charge-out rates, said Mr Ayre.

He added: “We want it to be a win, win, win. We want the client to win through improved services and contained costs.

“We want the staff to win, working in a good environment with shared values, and obviously we want the owners of the business to win as well. That’s at the heart of private enterprise.”

He said Gordons has “not made a lot of noise” about its progress since it moved its head office from Bradford to Leeds in 2000. But during that time it has grown in a “sustained” way by building long-term relationships with clients, he added.

Clients include supermarket giant Morrisons, manufacturer Saint Gobain, brewer Molson Coors and retailer Card Factory.

Elmwood, the award-winning Leeds design consultancy, developed the new brand identity.

Mr Ayre said it was “confident and distinctive” and defines what sets the firm apart from its rivals.

“We are not going to change our values,” he added.

Mr Ayre said: “We have a very simple business model. We have not over-expanded. We have not got lots of offices.

“We have a very strong culture around hard work and long-term relationships.”

Highlights of the last year include new client wins, new hires and the launch of the apprenticeship scheme, believed to be among the first in the legal sector.

Gordons is advising Chinese retail giant Bosideng on commercial agreements as it builds its European business.

It acted for Weidenhammer on the acquisition and development of a new plant for the German packaging giant in Bradford.

The firm also added Saudi Arabia Airlines to its client list.

Gordons hired 50 new fee-earners during the year, including leading charity lawyer Ros Harwood.

Mr Ayre is pleased with the progress of Gordons’ apprenticeship scheme, but said the reaction from schools has been mixed, ranging from no response to high levels of engagement.

He said: “It surprised me, given that we were offering five apprenticeships to enter into the law, a highly competitive industry with lots of barriers to entry.”

He said the five new recruits are “shaping into great assets for the business”.

He added: “What’s really struck us is the level of engagement we’ve had from clients on it.

“The legal sector around here is saturated. It’s hard to distinguish yourself as a law firm, even though at Gordons we do think we’re different for lots of reasons.

“Clients identify with the need to have apprenticeships. Clients see it as representing the values of the business. We’re prepared to be a bit different if we think it’s the right thing to do.”

The apprenticeship programme lasts for four years and involves day release at a college in Sheffield, where the apprentices are working towards their legal qualifications.

“If one of these apprentices became a partner, nobody would be more pleased than me because they’ve deserved it,” said Mr Ayre.

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