The Lawyer’s top 200 UK law firms revealed

DLA Piper is again the top UK law firm by revenue, the 2020 financial ranking of the UK’s top 200 law firms reveals.

The 2019/20 revenue figures are a stark indicator of the blow the coronavirus crisis has dealt to UK law firms: although the UK’s 100 largest firms generated a total revenue of £27.7bn in 2019/20, The Lawyer’s UK 200 data shows that this is the lowest year-on-year increase in five years. Although for the majority of firms the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was felt only in the final two months of the financial year, this is the period when most make their profit after overheads have been paid for.

Revenue for the top 100 UK firms group rose 5 per cent from the £26.38bn posted in 2018/19 – about half of the 9.5 per cent rise seen in the previous year. You would have to go as far back as 2014/15 and 2015/16 to see a total value rise of such low proportions.

This is not the case for those operating in the alternative legal services provider (ALSP) sector, who reported double-digit revenue growth, according to the latest UK 200 report.

Boodle Hatfield tops the UK Independents (firms ranked 101-200) this year, with a revenue rise of 5.7 per cent. The Lawyer research indicates that many in the Independents group are predicting continued consolidation and growth through acquisition, particularly as high street practices struggle to handle the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

The top 200 UK law firms 2020 by revenue

Rank 2020	Firm	Revenue 2019/20 (£m)
1	DLA Piper	2,111.50
2	Clifford Chance	1,803.00
3	Hogan Lovells	1,755.00
4	Allen & Overy	1,692.00
5	Linklaters	1,639.70
6	Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer	1,521.00
7	Norton Rose Fulbright	1,493.00
8	CMS	1,255.00
9	Herbert Smith Freehills	989.9
10	Eversheds Sutherland	954.7
11	BCLP	685.9
12	Ashurst	644
13	Clyde & Co	627
14	Slaughter and May	507
15	Gowling WLG	505.6
16	Pinsent Masons	495.5
17	Simmons & Simmons	390
18	Bird & Bird	380.1
19	Womble Bond Dickinson	375.9
20	Taylor Wessing	365.6
21	DWF	300
22	Fieldfisher	290
23	Addleshaw Goddard	287.5
24	Osborne Clarke	278.4
25	Irwin Mitchell	269.3
26	DAC Beachcroft	258
27	Kennedys	238.4
28	Macfarlanes	237.7
29	Withers	219.7
30	Stephenson Harwood	213
31	HFW	195.2
32	Mishcon de Reya	188.3
33	Watson Farley & Williams	182.6
34	Travers Smith	160.9
35	Charles Russell Speechlys	159.2
36	Shoosmiths	154.2
37	Slater and Gordon	145
38	Mills & Reeve	114.1
39	RPC	110.1
40	Gateley	109.8
41	Trowers & Hamlins	106.2
42	Burges Salmon	104.9
43	BLM	104.1
44	Weightmans	103.4
45	Freeths	102.8
46	TLT	98.8
47	Ince	98.5
48	Keoghs	98
49	Hill Dickinson	95.3
50	Penningtons Manches	93
51	Brodies	82
52	Browne Jacobson	80.9
53	Stewarts	77
54	Farrer & Co	72.8
55	Blake Morgan	71.2
56	Shakespeare Martineau	70.7
57	Plexus Legal	62.4
58	Lewis Silkin	60.7
59	Burness Paull	60.5
60	Birketts	58.4
61	Forsters	58
62	Knights	58
63	Howard Kennedy	57.1
64	Shepherd & Wedderburn	56.9
65	Fladgate	56
66	Walker Morris	55
67	BDB Pitmans	52.3
68	Hugh James	52
69	Clarke Willmott	51.7
70	Bevan Brittan	51.4
71	Bristows	50.9
72	Keystone Law	49.6
73	Kingsley Napley	48.2
74	JMW	47.6
75	Foot Anstey	46.5
76	Capsticks	46.3
77	Ashfords	44.8
78	Dickson Minto	44
79	Leigh Day	42
80	Winckworth Sherwood	41.4
81	Harbottle & Lewis	40.9
82	Veale Wasbrough Vizards	40.3
83	Michelmores	40.2
84	Digby Brown	39.5
85	Cripps Pemberton Greenish	39.1
86	Royds Withy King	38.3
87	Wedlake Bell	37.7
88	Ward Hadaway	37.6
89=	Brabners	36.3
89=	Harrison Clark Rickerbys	36.3
91	Russell-Cooke	36.2
92	Devonshires	35.8
93	Wiggin	34.9
94	Sackers	32.1
95	Fletchers	32.1
96	Simpson Millar	32
97	Minster Law	31.6
98	O’Neill Patient	31.2
99	Harper Macleod	30.8
100	Thorntons	30.6
101	Boodle Hatfield	30.3
102	DMH Stallard	30.0
103	Bates Wells Braithwaite	29.0
104	Stevens & Bolton	28.6
105	Fox Williams	28.2
106	Express Solicitors	27.7
107	Thrings	27.5
108	Payne Hicks Beach	26.5
109	Gunnercooke	26.4
110	Bond Turner	26.2
111	Wilkin Chapman	25.8
112	Duncan Lewis Solicitors	25.7
113	Moore Blatch	25.6
114	Geldards	25.1
115	Wright Hassall	25.0
116	Edwin Coe	24.9
117	Turcan Connell	24.3
118	Morton Fraser	24.3
119	Howes Percival	23.4
120	Memery Crystal	23.2
121	Anderson Strathern	23.0
122	Joseph Hage Aaronson	23.0
123	Anthony Collins	22.6
124	Signature Litigation	22.4
125	Thomson Snell & Passmore	22.3
126	Peters & Peters	22.0
127	Rosenblatt	21.9
128	Tees Law	21.3
129	Stephens Scown	21.0
130	Vardags	20.8
131	Ashtons Legal	20.7
132	Stone King	20.6
133	Collyer Bristow	20.3
134	Taylor Vinters	20.2
135	Lester Aldridge	20.1
136	Clarion	19.6
137	Langleys	19.6
138	Trethowans	19.1
139	Hewitsons	19.1
140	MacRoberts	18.8
141	Paris Smith	18.6
142	BTO Solicitors	18.5
143	Hodge Jones & Allen	18.5
144	Bott & Co	18.5
145	Higgs & Sons	18.1
146	Gordons	18.1
147	Fenwick Elliott	18.0
148	Stephensons	17.9
149	Kemp Little	17.9
150	Forbes Solicitors	17.8
151	IBB Solicitors	17.8
152	Setfords	17.6
153	Lindsays	17.4
154	DAS Law	17.3
155	Nelsons	17.2
156	RadcliffesLeBrasseur	17.2
157	Teacher Stern	17.1
158	Sintons	17.1
159	TWM	17.0
160	Simons Muirhead & Burton	16.6
161	Boyes Turner	16.4
162	Ellisons	16.3
163	Winn Solicitors	16.3
164	Roythornes	15.9
165	Carson McDowell	15.7
166	Brachers	15.7
167	Ramsdens	15.6
168	Birchall Blackburn Law	15.5
169	Flint Bishop	15.5
170	Switalskis Solicitors	15.4
171	Napthens	15.3
172	Enyo Law	15.0
173	EMW	14.6
174	Lupton Fawcett	14.6
175	Anthony Gold Solicitors	14.4
176	Wilsons	14.4
177	Coffin Mew	14.3
178	Gillespie Macandrew	14.0
179	Goodman Derrick	14.0
180	Muckle	13.4
181	Blacks	13.3
182	Kuits	13.1
183	FBC Manby Bowdler	13.0
184	Stowe Family Law	13.0
185	Seddons	12.9
186	Chadwick Lawrence	12.9
187	Sills & Betteridge	12.9
188	Wrigleys Solicitors	12.9
189	Lanyon Bowdler	12.7
190	Hunters	12.7
191	Barlow Robbins	12.6
192	Keebles	12.6
193	Schofield Sweeney	12.5
194	Chattertons	12.4
195	Lee & Thompson	12.4
196	Ledingham Chalmers	12.2
197	Laytons	12.2
198	Taylor & Emmet	12.1
199	Mayo Wynne Baxter	12.0
200	Wallace	11.9