Record turnover and office network expansion for law firm

Yorkshire’s law firm, Ison Harrison, has reported its most successful trading period ever for October last year, making 2023 its most successful and profitable year in its 46-year history.

It achieved a record turnover of over £22m last year, up 16% from £19m in 2022.

The firm’s commercial division’s turnover increased from £1.35m to £2.7m, the legal aid team secured the prestigious Legal Aid CAPA contract helping double department turnover to more than £2.5m for the year, and the property division saw turnover increase to over £6m despite the volatile housing market.

More than 20,000 new clients instructed the firm throughout 2023, and the year saw the opening of Ison Harrison’s 18th office, in Doncaster, its second in South Yorkshire, with plans for further expansion across the region in the first quarter of 2024.

Ison Harrison’s 19th office, located in Queensbury near Bradford, is due to open to the public this month.

The company became one of the first regional law firms to become a 100% employee-owned business in January 2022 after the three main shareholder directors agreed to sell the business to an Employee Ownership Trust.

It has now marked the second anniversary of becoming employee-owned by awarding all qualifying 270 team members a £4,000 profit distribution.

Managing director, Jonathan Wearing, said: “The move to employee ownership has been hugely positive for the firm and it’s encouraging to see such investment in making the initiative so successful.

“As the firm continues to expand and underpin its significant presence across Yorkshire, the flexible structure that employee ownership provides offers the perfect platform for future growth, attracting fresh talent as well as providing stability for existing staff.

“Switching to employee ownership has had a big impact on the way we do business and how we engage with our staff which in turn has boosted financial performance.

“The switch has been a resoundingly positive move for every single employee of the firm.”