Shoosmiths surpasses £1m PEP as client-first strategy accelerates growth

London, 23 June 2025 – Shoosmiths has today announced record financial results for the 2024/25 financial year, with profit per equity partner (PEP) exceeding £1 million for the first time – a 30% rise on last year. Net profit increased by 16% to £76.6 million and revenue grew 5% to £217.2 million, marking a decade of continuous growth.

This impressive performance reflects Shoosmiths’ strategic focus on premium legal work across its core markets, and the deep trust placed in the firm by clients to deliver on their most complex and high-value matters.

Clarity, focus, and collective impact

The firm’s progress is grounded in its 2030 strategy – a clear ambition to lead in the upper-mid-market by delivering legal excellence where it matters most to clients. That clarity has enabled Shoosmiths to win more high-stakes mandates, increase margins, and deliver sustainable success.

Recognising the significant role of its people in that success, Shoosmiths has awarded around £3.5million through its firmwide collegiate bonus pool this year. All 1,300 eligible colleagues will receive a 5% salary bonus next month in recognition of their contribution to the firm’s continued momentum.

David Jackson, CEO of Shoosmiths, said:

“I’m so proud that the hard work and dedication of our people has translated into fantastic outcomes for our clients and an amazing financial performance for our firm. We’ve been super clear about where we think we can add most value to our clients, and as a result they’ve trusted us with more of their business-critical work in those areas.

The results speak to the power of staying focused on what matters, not chasing growth for growth’s sake, and backing ourselves to deliver outstanding results. Our challenge now is to build on this momentum, to stay ambitious, stay curious and keep finding better ways to support the people and businesses we serve.”

Market-leading performance across 3 key pillars and 5 core sectors

• corporate: The team had a standout year closing over £10.4 billion in deals — the busiest in the firm’s history. Highlights included advising FOSROC on its $1.25 billion sale to Saint-Gobain as well as Hipgnosis Songs Fund on its $1.6bn takeover from private equity investor Blackstone. Crowning a spectacular year of deals, Shoosmiths’ Capital Markets team was named Team of the Year at the British Legal Awards and its VC team ranked first in the UK (second in Europe) for venture capital deal volume by PitchBook.
• real estate: An exceptional year for Shoosmiths’ 400-strong real estate team, advising on a record £1.5bn in investment transactions, with major deals spanning mixed-use schemes, retail, life sciences, offices, data centres, industrial and logistics, hotels and leisure, and residential assets. Highlights include advising real estate investor Feldberg Capital on the formation of Origin – a landmark, ESG-led £1bn industrial and logistics platform launched in partnership with developer HBD.
• litigation: The team acted for one of the fastest growing tech companies in the UK on a complex multi-million fraud case; advised a major mobile network operator on its £60m claim relating to delayed 4G/5G rollout; and defended Opel Automobile GmbH in a $19 million international breach of contract claim. In addition, we acted for Tulip Trading Limited in relation to the ownership of digital assets used by Bitcoin (value circa £4.5b); and for Liberty, Lancashire and other insurers following the loss of aircraft following the Russian invasion of the Ukraine.
• energy & infrastructure: The team led for Lincolnshire Co-op, Scotmid Co-op, East of England Co-op, Southern Co-op and Central Co-op on a landmark 10-year corporate power purchase agreement with RWE, the UK's largest power generator, to supply electricity from renewable energy sources to over 400 locations across the UK. The team also advised Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK on two major agreements relating to the construction of a £282 million biogas plant at its engine manufacturing facility in Deeside, North Wales.
• technology: The Firm advised a global computer technology giant on its provision of cloud services to a cluster of UK Government departments in a deal worth upwards of £700m. Other highlights included advising leading technology industry experts Amir Nooriala and Daniel Cardenas-Clark and their search fund Aurias on the acquisition of IT security services provider Saepio, and advising Five Arrows, the alternative investment arm of Rothschild & Co and Texthelp, the global leader in literacy and assistive technology, on the merger of Texthelp with n2y, a trailblazer in special education curriculum resources.
• mobility: Guided Jaguar Land Rover through an £800m digital transformation with Tata Consultancy Services, redefining vendor management across global operations, as well as advising on major deals for top 10 global car and truck manufacturers.
• financial services: Advised Gresham House on the strategic sale of IWP and £6.6bn in client assets to Titan Wealth.
• living: Advised on one of 2024’s largest build to rent (BTR) transactions - the sale of a 608-home portfolio joint venture by Invesco Real Estate and PLATFORM_. Also acted for Watkin Jones on the planning agreement for what will become Scotland’s tallest residential building. The specialist team also supported Kennedy Wilson on the acquisition and development of land for single-family housing, as part of its expanding UK BTR platform and joint venture with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. 

David Jackson commented:

"Over the past year, we've been entrusted by some of the world’s most iconic brands including in the technology and consumer products sectors - testament to how far we’ve come as a firm and the strength of the teams delivering exceptional work behind the scenes."

Investing in talent and innovation

Shoosmiths’ long-term success is underpinned by a commitment to investing in people, technology, and progressive ways of working:

• new partner talent: 17 new partners have joined or been promoted since April 2024, reinforcing expertise in priority markets including a six-strong IP team from Locke Lord led by Dominic Farnsworth and Leigh Smith as well as three lateral partner hires from BCLP – Kurt Ma, Adam Lambert and Kate Brimsted.
• people development: A new talent framework, One Shoosmiths, rolled out in 2024/25, providing transparent career pathways and bespoke training — part of a firm-wide commitment to growth and empowerment at every level.
• AI adoption bonus scheme: In a legal industry first, Shoosmiths launched a £1 million bonus pool tied to the collective generation of one million Microsoft Copilot prompts — embedding AI into daily practice and reinforcing the firm’s culture of experimentation and shared learning.
• innovation services (Shoosmiths EIGHT): The firm’s innovation hub continued to deliver client-facing products beyond traditional legal services. This year’s highlight was the launch of AI Comply — a cutting edge digital tool for managing compliance with emerging AI regulations.
• flexible working reimagined: Launched in May 2025, our next-generation flexible working framework, the Core, Hub & Community Model, balances high-performance collaboration with dynamic client service, redefining law firm agility in the premium mid-market, while providing class-leading flexibility for the firm’s workforce.

Looking ahead

David Jackson concluded:

“Our success at Shoosmiths is defined by the impact we make – not just in financial terms, but in the value we deliver for our clients, and the opportunities we create for our people. We’ve invested with clear intent over this past year – in talent, in innovation, and in building a culture that’s focused on doing exceptional work.

These results give us a strong platform, but we see them as a starting point, not a finish line. We’re ambitious about where we go next and clear about where we can lead. Our focus is on deepening our presence in the markets that matter most to our clients, here and increasingly abroad, scaling our capabilities with purpose, and continuing to challenge ourselves to deliver work that makes a difference.”