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In this table we blend together the three key profitability metrics – profit per equity partner (PEP), profit per lawyer and profit margin – to discover which of the top 100 firms are the most profitable. The firms have been ranked according to their aggregate score across all three measurements. Firms marked * are either listed firms or alternative business structures and do not have equity partnerships, meaning their ranking for PEP bears no relation to profit distribution. See methodology for further explanation.
| Profit rank | Firm | Profit per lawyer 2018 | Profit per lawyer rank | Profit margin 2018 | Profit margin rank | PEP 2018 | PEP rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slaughter and May | £407,000 | 1 | 49% | 2 | £2,664,000 | 1 |
| 2 | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | £314,000 | 2 | 49% | 3 | £1,734,000 | 3 |
| 3 | Macfarlanes | £222,000 | 7 | 46% | 5 | £1,743,000 | 2 |
| 4 | Dickson Minto | £264,000 | 4 | 55% | 1 | £1,100,000 | 10 |
| 5 | Linklaters | £249,000 | 5 | 44% | 7 | £1,537,000 | 6 |
| 6 | Allen & Overy | £231,000 | 6 | 41% | 9 | £1,640,000 | 4 |
| 7 | Clifford Chance | £215,000 | 8 | 39% | 11 | £1,597,000 | 5 |
| 8 | Stewarts Law | £177,000 | 10 | 45% | 6 | £1,415,000 | 8 |
| 9 | Sacker & Partners | £265,000 | 3 | 47% | 4 | £747,000 | 18 |
| 10 | Travers Smith | £164,000 | 11 | 38% | 14 | £1,194,000 | 9 |
| 11 | Hogan Lovells | £190,000 | 9 | 35% | 17 | £996,000 | 12 |
| 12 | Harbottle & Lewis | £136,000 | 14 | 43% | 8 | £670,000 | 23 |
| 13 | Mishcon de Reya | £129,000 | 16 | 33% | 20 | £1,000,000 | 11 |
| 14 | Taylor Wessing | £163,000 | 12 | 39% | 12 | £580,000 | 32 |
| 15 | Fladgate | £111,000 | 21 | 32% | 23 | £819,000 | 17 |
| 16 | Winckworth Sherwood | £92,000 | 26 | 33% | 21 | £947,000 | 14 |
| 17 | Ashurst | £113,000 | 20 | 31% | 26 | £743,000 | 19 |
| 18 | Gowling WLG | £141,000 | 13 | 41% | 10 | £495,000 | 42 |
| 19 | Herbert Smith Freehills | £109,000 | 22 | 30% | 30 | £853,000 | 15 |
| 20 | Simmons & Simmons | £115,000 | 18 | 31% | 27 | £688,000 | 22 |
| 21 | Norton Rose Fulbright | £131,000 | 15 | 31% | 28 | £652,000 | 26 |
| 22 | DLA Piper | £114,000 | 19 | 27% | 40 | £994,000 | 13 |
| 23 | Payne Hicks Beach | £98,000 | 23 | 35% | 18 | £500,000 | 41 |
| 24 | Stephenson Harwood | £96,000 | 25 | 31% | 29 | £620,000 | 28 |
| 25 | Bristows | £125,000 | 17 | 39% | 13 | £428,000 | 53 |
| 26 | Addleshaw Goddard | £88,000 | 28 | 28% | 35 | £648,000 | 27 |
| 27 | Brodies | £70,000 | 42 | 35% | 19 | £608,000 | 30 |
| 28 | Burness Paull | £75,000 | 36 | 36% | 15 | £475,000 | 44 |
| 29 | CMS | £83,000 | 30 | 28% | 36 | £536,000 | 35 |
| 30 | Holman Fenwick Willan | £89,000 | 27 | 27% | 41 | £535,000 | 36 |
| 31 | Fieldfisher | £79,000 | 32 | 24% | 54 | £728,000 | 20 |
| 32 | Pinsent Masons | £72,000 | 39 | 26% | 43 | £659,000 | 25 |
| 33 | Burges Salmon | £78,000 | 33 | 32% | 24 | £433,000 | 51 |
| 34 | Clyde & Co | £77,000 | 34 | 25% | 50 | £660,000 | 24 |
| 35 | Watson Farley & Williams | £84,000 | 29 | 26% | 44 | £507,000 | 40 |
| 36 | Farrer & Co | £74,000 | 38 | 26% | 45 | £550,000 | 34 |
| 37 | Walker Morris | £69,000 | 45 | 32% | 25 | £460,000 | 47 |
| 38 | Lewis Silkin | £98,000 | 24 | 33% | 22 | £298,000 | 74 |
| 39 | Keystone Law* | £33,000 | 78 | 28% | 37 | £1,450,000 | 7 |
| 40 | Mills & Reeve | £66,000 | 48 | 29% | 33 | £441,000 | 49 |
| 41 | Eversheds Sutherland | £56,000 | 52 | 20% | 63 | £821,000 | 16 |
| 42 | Boodle Hatfield | £77,000 | 35 | 25% | 51 | £471,000 | 46 |
| 43 | Shepherd and Wedderburn | £67,000 | 47 | 30% | 31 | £403,000 | 55 |
| 44 | Forsters | £68,000 | 46 | 26% | 42 | £445,000 | 48 |
| 45 | RPC | £80,000 | 31 | 26% | 46 | £348,000 | 62 |
| 46 | Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £72,000 | 40 | 18% | 69 | £586,000 | 31 |
| 47 | Osborne Clarke | £53,000 | 57 | 20% | 64 | £711,000 | 21 |
| 48 | Freeths | £51,000 | 59 | 26% | 47 | £513,000 | 39 |
| 49 | Russell-Cooke | £72,000 | 41 | 36% | 16 | £221,000 | 89 |
| 50 | Irwin Mitchell | £56,000 | 53 | 20% | 65 | £613,000 | 29 |
| 51 | Penningtons Manches | £55,000 | 54 | 23% | 55 | £491,000 | 43 |
| 52 | Digby Brown | £49,000 | 60 | 29% | 34 | £346,000 | 63 |
| 53 | Bird & Bird | £52,000 | 58 | 18% | 70 | £550,000 | 33 |
| 54 | Howard Kennedy | £75,000 | 37 | 26% | 48 | £284,000 | 76 |
| 55 | Bircham Dyson Bell | £70,000 | 43 | 30% | 32 | £222,000 | 87 |
| 56 | Charles Russell Speechlys | £60,000 | 49 | 21% | 59 | £420,000 | 54 |
| 57 | Stevens & Bolton | £54,000 | 55 | 25% | 52 | £400,000 | 58 |
| 58 | DAC Beachcroft | £40,000 | 68 | 20% | 66 | £528,000 | 37 |
| 59 | Withers | £59,000 | 50 | 18% | 71 | £403,000 | 56 |
| 60 | Birketts | £43,000 | 63 | 25% | 53 | £336,000 | 65 |
| 61 | Trowers & Hamlins | £54,000 | 56 | 22% | 58 | £333,000 | 68 |
| 62 | Bates Wells & Braithwaite | £58,000 | 51 | 28% | 38 | £195,000 | 94 |
| 63 | Ince & Co | £70,000 | 44 | 23% | 56 | £256,000 | 83 |
| 64 | JMW Solicitors | £33,000 | 79 | 18% | 72 | £527,000 | 38 |
| 65 | Harper Macleod | £45,000 | 62 | 28% | 39 | £208,000 | 91 |
| 66 | Cripps | £42,000 | 65 | 23% | 57 | £313,000 | 71 |
| 67 | Capsticks | £36,000 | 74 | 20% | 67 | £380,000 | 59 |
| 68 | Gordon Dadds | £48,000 | 61 | 26% | 49 | £146,000 | 96 |
| 69 | Geldards | £37,000 | 70 | 21% | 60 | £283,000 | 77 |
| 70 | Kennedys | £35,000 | 77 | 17% | 74 | £401,000 | 57 |
| 71 | Hill Dickinson | £43,000 | 64 | 16% | 79 | £334,000 | 67 |
| 72 | Wedlake Bell | £36,000 | 75 | 17% | 75 | £356,000 | 61 |
| 73 | Brabners | £36,000 | 76 | 21% | 61 | £275,000 | 79 |
| 74 | Bevan Brittan | £28,000 | 87 | 16% | 80 | £438,000 | 50 |
| 75 | Shoosmiths | £33,000 | 80 | 14% | 86 | £429,000 | 52 |
| 76 | Shakespeare Martineau | £42,000 | 66 | 17% | 76 | £272,000 | 80 |
| 77 | Michelmores | £37,000 | 71 | 17% | 77 | £295,000 | 75 |
| 78 | Ashfords | £32,000 | 81 | 18% | 73 | £325,000 | 70 |
| 79 | Royds Withy King | £41,000 | 67 | 21% | 62 | £155,000 | 95 |
| 80 | TLT | £31,000 | 82 | 16% | 81 | £342,000 | 64 |
| 81 | Browne Jacobson | £23,000 | 91 | 12% | 92 | £474,000 | 45 |
| 82 | Foot Anstey | £30,000 | 84 | 14% | 87 | £369,000 | 60 |
| 83 | Womble Bond Dickinson | £40,000 | 69 | 16% | 82 | £266,000 | 82 |
| 84 | Keoghs* | £37,000 | 72 | 20% | 68 | £145,000 | 97 |
| 85 | Veale Wasbrough Vizards | £31,000 | 83 | 16% | 83 | £311,000 | 72 |
| 86 | Kingsley Napley | £26,000 | 89 | 14% | 88 | £335,000 | 66 |
| 87 | Gateley* | £37,000 | 73 | 17% | 78 | £112,000 | 99 |
| 88 | DMH Stallard | £30,000 | 85 | 15% | 85 | £269,000 | 81 |
| 89 | DWF | £23,000 | 92 | 11% | 93 | £327,000 | 69 |
| 90 | Blake Morgan | £29,000 | 86 | 14% | 89 | £239,000 | 85 |
| 91 | Clarke Willmott | £27,000 | 88 | 14% | 90 | £232,000 | 86 |
| 92 | Ward Hadaway | £16,000 | 96 | 10% | 95 | £300,000 | 73 |
| 93 | Weightmans | £18,000 | 95 | 10% | 96 | £278,000 | 78 |
| 94 | Harrison Clark Rickerbys | £24,000 | 90 | 14% | 91 | £200,000 | 93 |
| 95 | BLM | £20,000 | 94 | 11% | 94 | £213,000 | 90 |
| 96 | Moore Blatch | £14,000 | 98 | 9% | 97 | £243,000 | 84 |
| 97 | Knights* | £14,000 | 97 | 16% | 84 | £65,000 | 100 |
| 98 | Thompsons | £21,000 | 93 | 7% | 98 | £205,000 | 92 |
| 99 | MW Solicitors* | £8,000 | 100 | 6% | 99 | £222,000 | 88 |
| 100 | Thrings | £9,000 | 99 | 5% | 100 | £115,000 | 98 |