Top partners pocket £1m-plus as legal giant with Edinburgh and Glasgow offices hails record result
“The business remains highly focused and disciplined, with profit growth again outpacing revenue growth” – David Jackson, chief executive
Shoosmiths, the legal heavyweight with Scottish operations in Edinburgh and Glasgow, has seen its top partners pocket more than £1 million each after unveiling record profits.
The firm’s latest accounts reveal an £80m profit for the 2025/26 financial year, with profit per equity partner (PEP) exceeding £1m for the second consecutive year. It said it was continuing to invest in “innovative technology, clients and high value-work”.
Underlying turnover was 5 per cent higher and underlying profit up by 11 per cent, excluding the firm’s divested serious injuries business. Turnover for the year topped £221.4m while profit per equity partner rose 3 per cent to £1.04m.
Shoosmiths has offices across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, advising clients across corporate, property, litigation and advisory services.
Chief executive David Jackson said: “The business remains highly focused and disciplined, with profit growth again outpacing revenue growth. That matters because it gives us the capacity to keep investing in our people and technology, so we can deliver even better outcomes for our clients.
“It also sends a clear signal to the market about the firm we are building: one increasingly focused on complex, higher-value work where clients need judgement, pace and confidence from their advisers with matters spanning complex cross-border private equity and major real estate deals to heavyweight litigation and restructuring mandates.
“Shoosmiths is combining outstanding legal judgement with the confidence to invest in technology, data and client delivery doing that from a position of real financial strength,” he added.
The year to the end of March 2026 saw Shoosmiths act on more complex and higher-value mandates across its three key pillars - corporate, litigation and real estate, or commercial property.
In corporate, the firm advised Five Arrows Principal Investments on the merger of Totalmobile and Solvares Group, creating a larger international software group with a combined presence across Northern Europe.
In litigation, the firm is acting for the joint liquidators of the former Somerfield supermarkets business, who have brought claims exceeding £450m against various entities of the Co-operative Group.
Shoosmiths has also continued to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) across the business. During the previous financial year, it launched its “£1m for one million prompts” campaign to build confidence in the everyday use of AI. It has since committed a further £1m investment in its people to support “more purposeful use cases focused on client service, productivity and lawyer development”.
Chairperson Kirsten Hewson said: “This has been a year of real progress for Shoosmiths. Clients are dealing with more complexity, more pressure and more change. They want advisers who bring sound judgement, commerciality and pace, alongside the confidence to use technology where it genuinely improves outcomes.
“That’s where our firm is focused. We are investing in the future while staying close to what has always set us apart: strong relationships, excellent people and a practical understanding of what clients actually need.”
Meanwhile, Scottish legal firm Lindsays has made a senior hire to its dispute resolution and litigation team. Daniel Bain has joined the firm as a partner, based in Edinburgh and supporting clients nationwide.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.