Revenue up 12 per cent at Pinsent Masons as Leeds office leads on major deals

It follows a year of continued expansions for the firm, which employs 2,500 people internationally and has offices in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

In March, it added a record 29 partners to the firm and announced plans to open offices in Sydney and Melbourne.

The year also saw Pinsent Masons merge with Scottish law firm McGrigors and open new offices in new offices in Paris, Munich and Istanbul.

Managing partner John Cleland said the firm “reaped the rewards” of significant prior investment.

He said: “What this demonstrates is how crucial strategic investments are to profitable growth.”

The opening of its Australia offices will be the start of further investment in the coming year, he added.

The firm’s Leeds office, which is headed by employment partner Chris Booth, was responsible for several significant contracts throughout 2014/15.

Partners in the city advised Heidelberg Cement on the UK aspects of the $1.4bn (£880m) sale of Hanson Building Products, which was the firm’s largest corporate deal.

Partner Andrew Black led the advisory team for the initial public offering (IPO) of Cairn Homes, the first large Irish house builder to go public since the ‘90s.

A cross-specialism team in the regional office acted on around £500m worth of student accommodation deals across the year, delivering over 6,500 new units of accommodation.

Leeds’ corporate and banking teams also advised retailer Mamas & Papas on its £25m-sale to private equity firm BlueGem Capital.

Head of Leeds Mr Booth said the firm’s international expansion will continue to benefit regional clients. He added: “We are starting to see renewed confidence and enter the new financial year with our tails up.”