Strong growth for Manchester law firm as team expands and revenue climbs

A Top 100 UK law firm, with offices at Chapel Walks, Manchester, has announced its 2021-2022 financial results.

Ward Hadaway, which also has offices in Leeds and Newcastle, has delivered a strong performance over the last financial year, seeing its Manchester office turnover increase by more than 25%.

Firm-wide turnover has grown by 11% to £43 million, with more than 40 legal appointments at all levels over the past year. The growth follows major investment by Ward Hadaway into its workforce and infrastructure which included an extensive transformation of the Manchester office to create a modern workplace that meets the team’s needs and enables them to collaborate, connect and communicate in a more inclusive way.

The firm has also launched a three-year wellbeing strategy which puts a positive culture of wellbeing at the heart of the business and is pivotal to Ward Hadaway’s success, innovation and growth.

Liz Bottrill, executive partner at the Manchester office, said: “We’re immensely proud of the progress we’ve made over the last financial year, despite the challenges faced by businesses across the UK. From tough economic conditions to talent shortages across the legal sector, we’ve continued to raise the bar in terms of our people, our services and our commitment to the North West region.

“This is testament to the team we have here in Manchester, their experience, passion and commitment to our clients and the values we stand for.

“We’ve continued to invest in our number one asset – our people – through the development of a growth strategy focused on our team. We’ve placed wellbeing and productivity at the heart of our approach, and implemented an agile working structure that empowers people to fulfil their potential, providing them with autonomy in their roles and demonstrating our trust in them. I am proud of the work we’re doing across the North West and the wider firm, as we continue to innovate and collaborate to provide the very best of services to our clients.”

This was recognised when earlier this year the firm was awarded the coveted gold standard by Investors in People, a demonstration of the progress it has made.  In addition Ward Hadaway was recently shortlisted for this year’s Investors in People (IiP) awards in the UK Employer of the Year Gold category.

Managing partner Martin Hulls, said: “The Manchester team, under Liz’s leadership, has been fantastic and has gone from strength to strength. We have an exceptional group of legal experts across our offices, and our clients appreciate our full-service offering, delivered with a straightforward, friendly approach.  It’s an approach that has served us well over the years, and continues to do so as we grow our client base, whilst maintaining our trusted, long-term relationships with individuals, organisations and businesses across the UK.

“As a firm, we’ve made great progress during 2021 and 2022, progress we are confident we will build upon. The economy is entering a period of well-documented uncertainty, but we are facing the future with optimism, supported by a clear strategy and an outstanding team. I remain very excited about what the future holds.”

In July, Ward Hadaway announced 28 promotions across the firm, reflecting the commitment to the ongoing attraction, development and retention of talent. The firm is in the process of adding more specialist expertise to the team in the coming months across various roles.

With over 450 people in three key locations – Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle – Ward Hadaway is one of the leading law firms in the North of England, established over 30 years ago.

For more information, visit: https://www.wardhadaway.com/