Foot Anstey has confirmed its revenue soared by 17 per cent in the first half of the 2015/16 financial year, with turnover for the first six months hitting £16.6m.

At the same point in 2014/15 turnover was £14.2m and full-year revenue was £32m, up 16 per cent from the previous year.

Managing partner John Westwell said the firm’s commercial, real estate and corporate team had led the way on growth.

The news follows the recent re-election of Westwell to managing partner for another four-year term, to 2019. He was first elected to the role in 2008, since when trunover has gone up by 65 per cent.

Foot Anstey also elected Jackie Brock Doyle, formerly director of communications and public affairs for the London 2012 Olympic Games, as a non-executive director to sit alongside existing non-executive director Alistair Rose, who previously headed PwC’s national sector team for the legal profession.

In the first half of the year the firm has made a number of lateral hires, including Bond Dickinson partner Nathan Peacey as head of markets in May and Forsters planning head Tim Taylor to the same position at Foot Anstey.

Blake Morgan partner Martin Hirst will join Foot Anstey as head of its housebuilders segment team in March 2016.

Westwell said the firm had recently won new clients including the Ministry of Sound and TNT, and that its focus was on building a national client base rather than one dominated by businesses in the South West.

“Our business model means that only some of that work is lucrative for us,” Westwell added, referring to local work.

Foot Anstey is currently piloting a flexible working scheme in its Bristol office, which Westwell said is likely to be expanded across the firm in the future.