Yorkshire law firms punching above their weight

Figures from industry magazine The Lawyer show that in total, the UK’s top 100 law firms brought in revenues of £14.27bn in 2010-11, up four per cent from the £13.73bn made in 2009-10.

Its figures show Leeds-based Walker Morris’s turnover dropped slightly from £42.6m in 2009-10 to £40.6m in 2010-11, making it the 66th-biggest firm in the UK.

Average profit per equity partner (PEP) fell 19 per cent to £434,000 from 2009-10’s £535,000.

Editor of The Lawyer Catrin Griffiths said: “Yorkshire has been the birthplace of many major law firms.

“Despite the migration of so much work to London, these results show the region’s firms still punch above their weight and the Yorkshire legal marketplace continues to thrive.”

Yorkshire-based Gordons’ turnover rose by six per cent to £23.3m, and The Lawyer said the firm continues to have some of the best-paid partners in the UK, with estimated PEP of £888,000.

However, the firm’s ranking dropped from 92 in 2010 to 94 this year.

York-based insurance practice Minster Law made its debut in the UK 100 at number 40, with turnover of £82.2m. The Lawyer said firms such as Minster are likely to become an increasing feature of the legal landscape owing to the imminent implementation of the Legal Services Act.

North East-based Dickinson Dees, which recently announced plans to move office from York to Leeds, saw revenues drop from £48.8m to £45.5m in 2010-11.

However, PEP rose slightly to £223,000. The firm’s ranking dropped one place to 58.

Ward Hadaway, which has a Leeds office, saw turnover and PEP remain static at £28.4m and £295,000 respectively. The firm dropped down the rankings by two places to 85.

DLA Piper, which less than 20 years ago was Bradford firm Dibb Lupton Alsop, was ranked the UK’s fifth biggest firm, based on its European revenues of £604.9m.

However, if DLA Piper’s global operations are taken into account, the firm brought in £1.3bn in 2010-11, making it now one of the world’s biggest firms.

Magic circle firm Clifford Chance remained at the top of the overall table. The firm made £1.2bn in 2010-11 across its global network of offices.