Shoosmiths is to open a new office in Leeds with an employment duo from Yorkshire-based Gordons as part of the firm’s ongoing strategy to increase its share of the UK legal market.
Partners Simon Robinson and Phil Crowe will lead the offering, which will be Shoosmith’s eleventh office. The firm said the new office is likely to open in late 2016.
Shoosmiths chief executive Claire Rowe said that the move was part of a plan to create a Northern hub and take a larger share of the domestic market.
Rowe (pictured) added: ‘Although we already advise clients based in Yorkshire, this new office will enable us to develop more work from some of the largest national and international corporates in that region. We plan to create a Northern hub of legal expertise for Shoosmiths’ clients with our Leeds and Manchester offices working closely together and anticipate recruiting specialists in key fields including corporate, real estate and commercial disciplines to help us fulfil that goal.’
Last week, the firm announced 4% growth in revenue for 2015/16 to £107m. The figure was down on the firm’s double-digit growth last year of 10%. In 2014/15, the firm saw turnover recover to near pre-2008 levels, reaching £102.7m. The latest figures see the firm beat its 2007/8 record for the first time, when the revenues reached £103.4m.
Shoosmiths profit per equity partner was lower at £365,000, compared with last year’s figure of £416,000. The firm said this was because this financial year was its first as an all-equity partnership, having moved to the model in May last 2015.
The firm has recruited and promoted 14 partners in the last year, strengthening its offices in Birmingham, Manchester and London, having moved into its new office at Tower 42 in 2015. Rowe said the firm was leading an IT transformation programme as part of its digital strategy.
kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk