What the firm says: Shoosmiths LLP is unusual among its UK law firm peer group for steering its path to a £154million turnover largely through organic growth, rather than by mega-merger. The firm has rapidly expanded its UK footprint to become one of today’s most ‘national’ firms, now operating from 13 locations across the UK including Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Text provided by the firm: Shoosmiths LLP is unusual among its UK law firm peer group for steering its path to a £154m turnover largely through organic growth, rather than by mega-merger. The firm has rapidly expanded its UK footprint to become one of today’s most ‘national’ firms, now operating from 13 locations across the UK including Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Client focus and commerciality are at the heart of the Shoosmiths service promise – the firm views itself as a service business and its lawyers and front line staff are genuinely encouraged to make a difference in a way that is relevant to each client. The firm may be onto something – its clients include a wide number of blue-chip names who clearly like a firm on their panels which is ‘not too small, and not too large.’
The cultural imperative to ‘take initiative’ (one of the firm’s 4 core values) has helped the firm to score highly in the innovation stakes. The firm innovates continually with its clients, actively working with them to help achieve their strategic, commercial and compliance goals. It has also led the firm to be a front runner in the development of legal tech products including Matters+, Cia (Contract: intelligent analysis) and Live working.
The firm’s innovative approach and appetite to ‘do things differently’ are reflected in its (on-going) 2020 ‘New How’ initiative – embracing change and a new way of thinking so we emerge from the pandemic ‘smarter, faster and better’.
Shoosmiths’ commitment to diversity and inclusion, and corporate responsibility is well-evidenced – as a founding signatory of the Law Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Charter, Shoosmiths actively support initiatives to attract and welcome talent from all backgrounds into the legal profession. The firm partners with organisations such as Business in the Community, Social Mobility Pledge, and United Nations Global Compact to bring about change. Most recently the firm has announced its plans to be carbon neutral by 2025 and reach carbon net zero by 2050.
Whilst its own agile office network is centred in the UK, Shoosmiths regularly works with law firms with a similarly client-focused outlook in the jurisdictions where its clients do business through the World Services Group (WSG).
A handful of national awards and listings from the last 12 months, include: Law Firm of the Year at the Women in Law Awards 2020, Legal Team of the Year – Property Week RESI Awards 2020 and 38th in Social Mobility Foundation’s latest Employability Index.
In a rapidly changing legal environment, where markets, technology and new global risks continually re-set the client agenda, clients can depend upon Shoosmiths’ collaborative legal teams to bring together a mix of real sector insights, innovative style and enviable technology to deliver exceptional advice.
