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 logo DLA Piper 2,111.50
2 Clifford Chance logo Clifford Chance 1,803.00
3 Hogan Lovells logo Hogan Lovells 1,755.00
4  Allen & Overy 1,692.00
5 Linklaters 1,639.70
6 Freshfields logo Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer 1,521.00
7 Norton Rose Fulbright logo Norton Rose Fulbright 1,493.00
8 CMS logo CMS 1,255.00
9 HSF logo 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.

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