The 50 UK law firms setting the pace
UK law firms with 20 to 500 staff, from City boutiques to firms across the regions and nations, recognized for how they have grown. Chosen and ranked by the VETTDD editorial team from Companies House filings, firm announcements and directory rankings, October 2026.
Setfords
Law firm, Guildford
Group turnover rose 40% from £45m to £62.9m in the year to September 2025 and average staff grew from 151 to 180, according to Setfords Group Limited’s Companies House accounts. In July 2026 the firm launched Halo, a case, accounts and practice management platform built by its own technology company and used by all 650 of its consultant lawyers. It was shortlisted for UK Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2026.
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Keystone Law
Law firm, London
Revenue rose 18% from £97.7m to £115.2m in the year to January 2026 and adjusted profit before tax from £12.7m to £15.3m, according to Keystone Law Group’s Companies House accounts. Its platform grew from 576 to 654 self-employed lawyers in the same year, while employed staff rose from 82 to 98. In July 2026, 19 of its lawyers were recognized in the Chambers High Net Worth Guide 2026.
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Harper James
Law firm, Birmingham
Revenue rose 25% to £15.2m in its last financial year, the firm reported in November 2025, and its Companies House accounts show average staff up from 111 to 126. LDC invested in September 2025 to fund technology, senior hires and acquisitions, and Chambers and Partners placed Harper James in Band 1 of its new SME-focused category for 2026. The subscription-led firm has set itself a £30m revenue target for 2028.
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Excello Law
Law firm, London
Group turnover rose 23% to £29.6m in the year to June 2025 and the employed support team grew from 59 to 83, according to Excello Law’s Companies House accounts. The firm says it had 270 consultant lawyers by October 2025 and is not funded by private equity. Founded by chief executive George Bisnought in 2009, it added Hestia Private Client to its House of Brands in 2026 and is ranked in seven practice areas in the Legal 500 UK 2027.
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gunnercooke
Law firm, Manchester
Group turnover rose 16% to £86.9m in the year to December 2025, according to accounts filed at Companies House in October 2026, while employed staff grew from 77 to 85. gunnercooke reached that scale on a model in which partners run their own practices on the firm’s platform, and it now counts more than 600 professionals across 16 offices in five countries. Founders Darryl Cooke and Sarah Goulbourne still own and lead it.
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rradar
Law firm, Hull
Group turnover rose 17% to £28m in 2025 and staff grew from 249 to 259, according to rradar (Holdings) Limited’s Companies House accounts, which credit higher sales of its products and services and new IT platforms. The Hull practice pairs legal advice with risk-management software and training for businesses, and it was named a leading firm in the Legal 500 UK 2027 after winning the Herald Law Awards of Scotland Innovation Award in 2024 and 2025.
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Spencer West
Law firm, London
Founded in 2010 as a two-partner practice, Spencer West now has more than 370 partners across 24 jurisdictions, according to the strategic report in its Companies House group accounts, which show turnover of £38.9m in the year to March 2026, up from £36.9m. Its employed core grew from 28 to 44 people, and in September 2026 it reported 14 Legal 500 UK practice area rankings, up from 10 a year earlier.
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