Law firm announces record turnover as Birmingham office sees 12 per cent growth

Law firm Mills & Reeve has announced turnover growth of £13 million in its 2024/25 financial year, resulting in record revenues of £181 million.

The firm’s Midlands business has seen a turnover increase of 12 per cent in its 2024/25 financial year and celebrated one year at its office in One Centenary Way, Paradise.

As in previous years, staff have shared in the firm’s growth through the annual all-staff bonus.

This year's national bonus pool, which is directly linked to the firm’s profits and varies each year, was £1.4 million, meaning the majority of people received a bonus of at least £1,000.

The strong financial results follow another successful year which has achieved several significant milestones and embarked on a range of exciting projects, including:

• Major investment in people, including two lateral hires in partner Rob Biddlecombe, who leads Mills & Reeve’s environmental law practice, and Catherine Savage, a partner in its regulatory, public law and commercial disputes team who specialises in academic litigation. 
• The team has also announced five promotions in the region – including Sian Jackson’s promotion to partner in the employment team – and welcomed four newly qualified lawyers as it continues to invest in talent. 
• Continued support in the communities its team lives and works in with partnerships with local charities such as George Dixon Academy, Envision, West Midlands Homelessness Taskforce, SIFA Fireside and Birmingham Central Food Bank and sponsorship of the Midlands Finance Awards for the second year running. 
• Increased Fearless Feedback scores with 90% of clients saying they would recommend the firm, getting closer to the 2030 target of 95% client recommendation.
• Strengthening the firm’s international offering to clients and re-branding to M&R Global, with the aim for 40 per cent of all work to have an international element by 2030.
• Seeking to drive success through technology by rolling out CoPilot, Kira and other AI solutions across the firm while continuing to look at additional GenAI tools to support lawyers and business services. Nine new AI solutions have recently been piloted across the business as part of an ambitious programme of driving technology-enabled client service improvements.
• Having been ranked for 20 consecutive years in Best Companies to Work For, Mills & Reeve has been ranked in The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work Awards Best Big Organisations for the last two years.
• The firm made a significant investment in Small Woods Association, based in Shropshire, as part of its wider biodiversity efforts. The investment will help to fund a social forestry coordinator and cover transportation costs for participants to project sites, fencing around selected areas to protect plants from deer browsing, materials for a shelter and welfare facilities for volunteers. 
• Official validation of the firm’s science-based targets by the SBTi, confirming the firm’s near-term and net zero ambitions align with the 1.5°C pathway. This marks a major milestone in Mills & Reeve’s commitment to climate action.

Jayne Hussey (pictured), partner and head of the Birmingham office at Mills & Reeve, said: "This is a strong performance for our team in a challenging market. We’ve continued to invest in our people, technology and offices to push forward with our ambitious 2030 firm-wide strategy.

“We’re only a year into our national strategy and have already seen strong progress towards our priorities of putting clients at the heart of our business, being a leader in our sector and markets, driving success through technology and being a leader in experience for our people. 

“It’s an exciting time to be working in the Midlands. The region has huge potential with high levels of investment, and the West Midlands Growth Plan sets a clear blueprint for future success.

“By focusing on delivering for our clients and our strengths in growth sectors, we’re well positioned for our own continued expansion.”