Leeds-based law firm Clarion delivers double-digit growth to £26.9m revenue

£26.9m in the year ending May 31 2022, as it worked with clients including Safestyle UK, Frasers Group and Leeds Beckett University.

The Leeds-based firm, which has 300 staff, said turnover in its

current financial year is set to increase to £30m. It also expects to see more demand for its dispute resolution and restructuring services during a time of “strong economic headwinds”.

Roger Hutton, joint managing partner, said: “While we are a relatively young firm, we’ve always had big ambitions and having proved our ability to rival the large national firms with offices in Leeds, we are increasingly winning work not only from London and across the UK, but also internationally as, post-covid, businesses look for the best value advice, regardless of location.

“2022 was another strong year for us with the team achieving the national and international recognition they deserve by winning a plethora of prestigious awards, as well as adding more and more blue-chip companies and national brands to our client roster.

"In such a tough economy, our continued expansion is largely enabled

by our growing reputation as a national alternative to the biggest firms, both for major UK corporates and international clients.

“With Leeds successfully establishing itself as the main UK legal hub outside London, we’re seeing an interesting dynamic with many talented lawyers looking beyond the capital and seeking challenging career

opportunities which can also deliver a better quality of life.

“Last year alone, we recruited another 15 colleagues, both from the rich pool of talent we have in the North and also by attracting best-of-breed lawyers from top London firms as our strategy gains momentum.”

In rankings compiled by trade magazine The Lawyer, Clarion was recognised as having achieved the third highest level of organic growth in Europe over the last five full financial years with revenue increasing by more than four fifths since 2017.

Mr Hutton added: “We saw impressive growth across most of our practices last year, with the corporate and real estate teams in particular both putting in strong performances.

"As we look ahead to the next 12 months, we expect there to be more demand for our dispute resolution and restructuring services as business resilience is tested by the pressure of the current challenging marketplace.”

“Our vision goes beyond geographic boundaries – last year alone, we worked across 75 countries, and we plan to strengthen our international team and client base. We are proud of having consistently achieved double-digit growth every year for the last eight years, and, having already seen momentum grow over the last quarter, we look forward to continuing to drive the business forward.”