JMW

Turnover at Manchester-based JMW rose by 20 per cent for the 2011–12 financial year, with revenue rising from £11m to £13.2m. The firm attributed the growth to a 28 per cent surge in new clients, winning business from Kellogg’s, Hargreaves and Homes4u following an influx of partner hires in 2010–11.

Employment, for example, saw fee income grow by 229 per cent after hires helped bring the headcount at the once small department to 10 lawyers. Ian Tranter brought a number of commercial clients to the firm when he became head of employment at the start of 2011, joining from Pannone. Carl Moran brought both commercial work and a large amount of applicant work from an introducer when he joined from Nexus in 2011.

The family department has seen growth for the same reasons, with two divorce lawyers — Beth Wilkins and Cath Jones – bringing and attracting clients to the firm after they joined in October 2011. Senior partner Joy Kingsley said that all seven partners who joined in 2011 and 2012 and the two who joined in 2010 and 2011 have brought clients to JMW.

JMW has also been reported to be in acquisition talks with an undisclosed firm but at the time of writing no other details have been released.