Revenues up at law firm following Leeds office opening
COMMERCIAL law firm Bevan Brittan has reported strong revenue growth following the opening of a Leeds office earlier this year.
Revenue increased by 8% to £37.7m, whilst net profits grew 9%. Profit per equity partner rose from £284,000 to £305,000.
The Bristol-based law firm expanded in Leeds in September 2015, opening an office in Toronto Square with the help of ex-DWF partners Michael Boyd and Julie Cowan-Clark.
The Leeds office now has seven partners. The firm as a whole grew to 52 partners and 295 staff, across offices in London, Leeds, Birmingham and Bristol.
Michael Boyd, a partner at Bevan Brittan who helped launch the Leeds office spoke to TheBusinessDesk.com.
He said: “Leeds is a competitive market but we have a very strong foothold in our specialist areas. We clearly have to factor in competition and uncertainties but we’re in a good place.
“From a Leeds perspective we’re looking to grow the office, and we are specifically looking to grow the corporate, commercial litigation, and housing specialisms.
“One thing we want to do is target doubling revenue and adding to the headcount. We’ll be looking to develop our own people as we grow, but will also be looking for experienced practitioners to join the office.
“As you can see the firm as a whole is growing, it’s moving in the right direction on a good trajectory.”
Bevan Brittan’s managing partner Duncan Weir said: “I am delighted that these results have been achieved in the same year as we took the investment costs and time to successfully open our new Leeds office and at a time of investing in new technology to better deliver to our clients.
“All this was achieved without increasing our already low borrowing levels. It is particularly gratifying to see significant growth in our purely private sector work as well as in our public services work.
“One of the reasons for our success is the contribution made by our new office in Leeds. From a standing start, all parts of our new office have performed above expectations and we have a great platform for further growth in the region.
“These remain challenging times for both our private sector and public sector clients, and the Brexit vote has only added to the challenges we all face. But with these results, we are in a strong position to continue to successfully deliver to our clients and to continue to manage a profitable and sustainable business.”
