DLA Piper is again the top UK law firm by revenue, the 2020 financial ranking of the UK’s top 200 law firms reveals.
The 2019/20 revenue figures are a stark indicator of the blow the coronavirus crisis has dealt to UK law firms: although the UK’s 100 largest firms generated a total revenue of £27.7bn in 2019/20, The Lawyer’s UK 200 data shows that this is the lowest year-on-year increase in five years. Although for the majority of firms the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was felt only in the final two months of the financial year, this is the period when most make their profit after overheads have been paid for.
Revenue for the top 100 UK firms group rose 5 per cent from the £26.38bn posted in 2018/19 – about half of the 9.5 per cent rise seen in the previous year. You would have to go as far back as 2014/15 and 2015/16 to see a total value rise of such low proportions.
This is not the case for those operating in the alternative legal services provider (ALSP) sector, who reported double-digit revenue growth, according to the latest UK 200 report.
Boodle Hatfield tops the UK Independents (firms ranked 101-200) this year, with a revenue rise of 5.7 per cent. The Lawyer research indicates that many in the Independents group are predicting continued consolidation and growth through acquisition, particularly as high street practices struggle to handle the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
The top 200 UK law firms 2020 by revenue
Rank 2020 | Firm | Revenue 2019/20 (£m) |
1 | DLA Piper | 2,111.50 |
2 | Clifford Chance | 1,803.00 |
3 | Hogan Lovells | 1,755.00 |
4 | Allen & Overy | 1,692.00 |
5 | Linklaters | 1,639.70 |
6 | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | 1,521.00 |
7 | Norton Rose Fulbright | 1,493.00 |
8 | CMS | 1,255.00 |
9 | Herbert Smith Freehills | 989.9 |
10 | Eversheds Sutherland | 954.7 |
11 | BCLP | 685.9 |
12 | Ashurst | 644 |
13 | Clyde & Co | 627 |
14 | Slaughter and May | 507 |
15 | Gowling WLG | 505.6 |
16 | Pinsent Masons | 495.5 |
17 | Simmons & Simmons | 390 |
18 | Bird & Bird | 380.1 |
19 | Womble Bond Dickinson | 375.9 |
20 | Taylor Wessing | 365.6 |
21 | DWF | 300 |
22 | Fieldfisher | 290 |
23 | Addleshaw Goddard | 287.5 |
24 | Osborne Clarke | 278.4 |
25 | Irwin Mitchell | 269.3 |
26 | DAC Beachcroft | 258 |
27 | Kennedys | 238.4 |
28 | Macfarlanes | 237.7 |
29 | Withers | 219.7 |
30 | Stephenson Harwood | 213 |
31 | HFW | 195.2 |
32 | Mishcon de Reya | 188.3 |
33 | Watson Farley & Williams | 182.6 |
34 | Travers Smith | 160.9 |
35 | Charles Russell Speechlys | 159.2 |
36 | Shoosmiths | 154.2 |
37 | Slater and Gordon | 145 |
38 | Mills & Reeve | 114.1 |
39 | RPC | 110.1 |
40 | Gateley | 109.8 |
41 | Trowers & Hamlins | 106.2 |
42 | Burges Salmon | 104.9 |
43 | BLM | 104.1 |
44 | Weightmans | 103.4 |
45 | Freeths | 102.8 |
46 | TLT | 98.8 |
47 | Ince | 98.5 |
48 | Keoghs | 98 |
49 | Hill Dickinson | 95.3 |
50 | Penningtons Manches | 93 |
51 | Brodies | 82 |
52 | Browne Jacobson | 80.9 |
53 | Stewarts | 77 |
54 | Farrer & Co | 72.8 |
55 | Blake Morgan | 71.2 |
56 | Shakespeare Martineau | 70.7 |
57 | Plexus Legal | 62.4 |
58 | Lewis Silkin | 60.7 |
59 | Burness Paull | 60.5 |
60 | Birketts | 58.4 |
61 | Forsters | 58 |
62 | Knights | 58 |
63 | Howard Kennedy | 57.1 |
64 | Shepherd & Wedderburn | 56.9 |
65 | Fladgate | 56 |
66 | Walker Morris | 55 |
67 | BDB Pitmans | 52.3 |
68 | Hugh James | 52 |
69 | Clarke Willmott | 51.7 |
70 | Bevan Brittan | 51.4 |
71 | Bristows | 50.9 |
72 | Keystone Law | 49.6 |
73 | Kingsley Napley | 48.2 |
74 | JMW | 47.6 |
75 | Foot Anstey | 46.5 |
76 | Capsticks | 46.3 |
77 | Ashfords | 44.8 |
78 | Dickson Minto | 44 |
79 | Leigh Day | 42 |
80 | Winckworth Sherwood | 41.4 |
81 | Harbottle & Lewis | 40.9 |
82 | Veale Wasbrough Vizards | 40.3 |
83 | Michelmores | 40.2 |
84 | Digby Brown | 39.5 |
85 | Cripps Pemberton Greenish | 39.1 |
86 | Royds Withy King | 38.3 |
87 | Wedlake Bell | 37.7 |
88 | Ward Hadaway | 37.6 |
89= | Brabners | 36.3 |
89= | Harrison Clark Rickerbys | 36.3 |
91 | Russell-Cooke | 36.2 |
92 | Devonshires | 35.8 |
93 | Wiggin | 34.9 |
94 | Sackers | 32.1 |
95 | Fletchers | 32.1 |
96 | Simpson Millar | 32 |
97 | Minster Law | 31.6 |
98 | O’Neill Patient | 31.2 |
99 | Harper Macleod | 30.8 |
100 | Thorntons | 30.6 |
101 | Boodle Hatfield | 30.3 |
102 | DMH Stallard | 30.0 |
103 | Bates Wells Braithwaite | 29.0 |
104 | Stevens & Bolton | 28.6 |
105 | Fox Williams | 28.2 |
106 | Express Solicitors | 27.7 |
107 | Thrings | 27.5 |
108 | Payne Hicks Beach | 26.5 |
109 | Gunnercooke | 26.4 |
110 | Bond Turner | 26.2 |
111 | Wilkin Chapman | 25.8 |
112 | Duncan Lewis Solicitors | 25.7 |
113 | Moore Blatch | 25.6 |
114 | Geldards | 25.1 |
115 | Wright Hassall | 25.0 |
116 | Edwin Coe | 24.9 |
117 | Turcan Connell | 24.3 |
118 | Morton Fraser | 24.3 |
119 | Howes Percival | 23.4 |
120 | Memery Crystal | 23.2 |
121 | Anderson Strathern | 23.0 |
122 | Joseph Hage Aaronson | 23.0 |
123 | Anthony Collins | 22.6 |
124 | Signature Litigation | 22.4 |
125 | Thomson Snell & Passmore | 22.3 |
126 | Peters & Peters | 22.0 |
127 | Rosenblatt | 21.9 |
128 | Tees Law | 21.3 |
129 | Stephens Scown | 21.0 |
130 | Vardags | 20.8 |
131 | Ashtons Legal | 20.7 |
132 | Stone King | 20.6 |
133 | Collyer Bristow | 20.3 |
134 | Taylor Vinters | 20.2 |
135 | Lester Aldridge | 20.1 |
136 | Clarion | 19.6 |
137 | Langleys | 19.6 |
138 | Trethowans | 19.1 |
139 | Hewitsons | 19.1 |
140 | MacRoberts | 18.8 |
141 | Paris Smith | 18.6 |
142 | BTO Solicitors | 18.5 |
143 | Hodge Jones & Allen | 18.5 |
144 | Bott & Co | 18.5 |
145 | Higgs & Sons | 18.1 |
146 | Gordons | 18.1 |
147 | Fenwick Elliott | 18.0 |
148 | Stephensons | 17.9 |
149 | Kemp Little | 17.9 |
150 | Forbes Solicitors | 17.8 |
151 | IBB Solicitors | 17.8 |
152 | Setfords | 17.6 |
153 | Lindsays | 17.4 |
154 | DAS Law | 17.3 |
155 | Nelsons | 17.2 |
156 | RadcliffesLeBrasseur | 17.2 |
157 | Teacher Stern | 17.1 |
158 | Sintons | 17.1 |
159 | TWM | 17.0 |
160 | Simons Muirhead & Burton | 16.6 |
161 | Boyes Turner | 16.4 |
162 | Ellisons | 16.3 |
163 | Winn Solicitors | 16.3 |
164 | Roythornes | 15.9 |
165 | Carson McDowell | 15.7 |
166 | Brachers | 15.7 |
167 | Ramsdens | 15.6 |
168 | Birchall Blackburn Law | 15.5 |
169 | Flint Bishop | 15.5 |
170 | Switalskis Solicitors | 15.4 |
171 | Napthens | 15.3 |
172 | Enyo Law | 15.0 |
173 | EMW | 14.6 |
174 | Lupton Fawcett | 14.6 |
175 | Anthony Gold Solicitors | 14.4 |
176 | Wilsons | 14.4 |
177 | Coffin Mew | 14.3 |
178 | Gillespie Macandrew | 14.0 |
179 | Goodman Derrick | 14.0 |
180 | Muckle | 13.4 |
181 | Blacks | 13.3 |
182 | Kuits | 13.1 |
183 | FBC Manby Bowdler | 13.0 |
184 | Stowe Family Law | 13.0 |
185 | Seddons | 12.9 |
186 | Chadwick Lawrence | 12.9 |
187 | Sills & Betteridge | 12.9 |
188 | Wrigleys Solicitors | 12.9 |
189 | Lanyon Bowdler | 12.7 |
190 | Hunters | 12.7 |
191 | Barlow Robbins | 12.6 |
192 | Keebles | 12.6 |
193 | Schofield Sweeney | 12.5 |
194 | Chattertons | 12.4 |
195 | Lee & Thompson | 12.4 |
196 | Ledingham Chalmers | 12.2 |
197 | Laytons | 12.2 |
198 | Taylor & Emmet | 12.1 |
199 | Mayo Wynne Baxter | 12.0 |
200 | Wallace | 11.9 |
The 2021 editions of The Lawyer UK 200: The Top Firms and the UK 200: The Independents are now available to buy.
The global pandemic changed the world in 2020 and the legal market with it. This year’s UK 200 looks at skyrocketing profits, how some firms got their predictions wrong and we shine a spotlight shines on 2021’s new entrants to the Top 100.