Why Sarah Walton is on a mission to turn Weightmans into a top 30 law firm

"I'm a busy working mum; my daughter is 11, when she was about two or three years old our local community found out that the local council couldn't afford to refurbish the play park,’’ Ms Walton recalled.

“The council said they might have to close it. With my ‘roll your sleeves up’ energy, I often find myself as the leader and responsible for getting things done. Before I knew it I was leading this project.

"We had events like ‘Celebration on the Green for the Queen’ for the Jubilee and a charity fundraising ball and really got the community behind us to ensure the park was saved.”

The group raised more than £100,000 in 12 months to ensure the play park remained open, after Salford City Council matched the funding. "We were able to design the play park. It was a really great community effort to create a legacy that would benefit the children of the future,’’ said Ms Walton, who became the first female managing partner of Weightmans earlier this year.

"Being part of the team that saved the park is something I am very proud of."

Ms Walton is taking the same disciplined and focused approach to the firm’s expansion. The law firm, which already employs more than 1,500 people working from offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Newcastle, is thinking deeply about how it can go to market internationally.

Ms Walton, who took on the top job in April, succeeded John Schorah, who stepped down after 12 years at the helm and 18 years on the company’s board. As her first act as managing partner, she confirmed several new board appointments and committed Weightmans to a brisk expansion strategy.

"We've got a mission to be a top 30 law firm and that keeps growth front and centre,” said Ms Walton, who was Weightmans' client relationships director on the executive board for two years before taking on the top job. "We are going to see massive changes in legal services over the next five years. Every person in the firm can contribute to that growth. We keep clients and innovation at the heart of all we do. In order to become a top 30 law firm we would have to double our annual turnover, from around £160m to £300m plus.

"You're not going to achieve that through organic growth alone, although organic growth will be part of our plans,’’ she added. "Merger and acquisitions are a big part of our strategy. We've got a proven track record of delivering successful mergers."

Some of this growth is expected to be delivered by Weightmans’ dedicated cyber security consultancy, CyXcel, which is a business unit focused on digital transformation and cyber security

"Who isn't thinking about cyber at the minute?”, said Ms Walton. “We're the only company in the UK with this integrated offering. CyXcel and the growth of our international offering are a big part of our plans.

"We've got people working for us here and also in the US for the first time. Previously, international work was never really part of our strategy. But we did £10m of international work last year.

"We are taking a multi-pronged growth strategy,’’ she added. “We are always thinking about mergers; I joined Weightmans as part of a merger when Mace & Jones joined Weightmans in 2011.

"We have successfully merged with Ford & Warren and Radcliffe Le Brasseur, both with offices in Leeds, in recent years. Our strategy historically has been to be a national UK law firm. But the world is getting smaller, not least due to technology. It's about strengthening our existing relationships,’’ she added. “We're doing work in pretty much every country in the world, we just haven't shouted about it. We're on the start of that journey. It's not about being full service around the world, it's about being really focused in areas like insurance, private client and large corporates.

"It's about thinking, where are our greatest strengths? We do a lot of work in the US and Dubai, with the tax changes announced by the Labour Government there's an ever increasing number of people leaving the UK to go to places like Italy and Dubai for tax reasons.

"We also do work in places like Ireland, Germany and France. If we want to become a top 30 firm, we have to have an expanding overseas presence."

Yorkshire is close to her heart; she was born in Pontefract and spent her early childhood in an area dominated by coal mining, before her family moved to Belle Isle in Leeds.

Her interest in the legal profession was partly sparked by her grandfather, who served as a policeman in West Yorkshire, and she remains passionate about promoting social mobility. The Leeds office, which employs more than 100 people, is part of the firm’s engine for growth.

“Ben Daniel, who joined us on the F&W (Ford & Warren) merger, is now part of my board of directors,’’ she said. “We may have to find even bigger premises as we grow. We'll keep investing in Leeds, it's particularly important for our owner managed business and private client sectors."

Weightmans’ commitment to nurturing talent was recognised at the Apprenticeship Guide Awards 2024, where it won the best apprenticeship programme in the professional services sector. Ms Walton plans to deploy her relentless energies to ensure the brightest and best beat a path to Weightmans.

"Mentoring younger people is really important to me."