Freeths delivers 83% revenue growth over five years

Leading national law firm Freeths has announced record financial results for the year ended 31 March 2026, with turnover rising by more than 12% to £187.6 million and, despite a significant investment programme, profit up 8.2%.

 The results mark Freeths’ fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth, with turnover increasing by 83% over the past five years.

Momentum was driven by deeper relationships with established clients, an increase in new client instructions, and rising demand for specialist advice as organisations and individuals navigate regulatory change, economic and geopolitical uncertainty, alongside increasingly complex challenges and opportunities.

Corporate, Employment, and Planning & Environment recorded particularly strong performances, with turnover up 24%, 33% and 27% respectively. Growth in these areas was driven by demand for advice on private equity, mergers and acquisitions and international transactions, workplace reform, and major infrastructure and water-related projects.

Freeths continued to work with longstanding clients including Aldi, Mercedes-Benz, Barratt, Redrow and Travis Perkins. The firm also secured instructions from new clients including Holland & Barrett, Finance Earth and ExCeL London.

New client wins rose 9% year on year, while turnover from the firm’s top 50 clients increased by 11%.

This performance was supported by complex, high-value work across Freeths’ four divisions, including advising Centrica on its circa £370 million acquisition of the Severn Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine power station, Gleeds on contractual arrangements linked to the £136 billion Sellafield decommissioning programme, and Equiniti in major data protection litigation progressing to the Supreme Court.

Freeths performed strongly across its UK office network, with London recording a 22% turnover increase, Bristol achieving 21% growth and Glasgow achieving a 43% rise in its second full financial year.

To enhance its capabilities and meet increased client demand across a wider service offering, Freeths welcomed 187 new colleagues across its legal and business support teams, made 16 strategic lateral partner hires and promoted 86 people, including 14 partner promotions. Freeths also awarded £4.3 million in staff bonuses across the business.

After the year end, Freeths transferred its Clinical Negligence and Court of Protection teams to Fletchers Group, enabling the firm to sharpen its strategic focus and concentrate investment on the core growth areas across its four divisions, including Private Client Services.

National Managing Partner Karl Jansen said: “Organisations are navigating increasingly complex commercial, regulatory and workforce challenges and need advisers who understand the wider context and can bring together the right insight, experience and expertise to deliver better solutions and outcomes.

“Our focus on service quality and long‑term partnerships has been instrumental in our progress, and our performance reflects the strength of our relationships and the increasing breadth of work entrusted to Freeths, with established clients turning to us for broader support, and new client instructions driven by our national capability, sector knowledge and practical, personal advice.

“As part of our commitment to developing innovative solutions that deliver clear value for our clients, we have continued to invest in our people and technology, while also ensuring that our colleagues share in the success they helped create.”

Investing in the future

Freeths continued to enhance its technology and innovation capability, extending Microsoft 365 Copilot to all colleagues, strengthening its partnership with AI-powered legal platform Legora and appointing a Chief Innovation Officer and a Head of Legal AI.

The firm also continued to invest in its national office network to encourage collaboration and innovation, reinforcing its long‑standing commitment to regional markets. This includes relocating to newly refurbished premises in Milton Keynes and enhancing the working environment in Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester.