In this table we blend together the three key profitability metrics – profit per equity partner, 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 profit distribution does not bear any resemblance to traditional law firm models and why most feature towards the bottom of this table. See methodology for further explanation.
| Profit rank | FIRM | PROFIT PER LAWYER
2019 |
Rank | PROFIT MARGIN
2019 |
Rank | PEP
2019 |
Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slaughter and May | £433,000 | 1 | 48% | 2 | £2,985,000 | 1 |
| 2 | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | £313,000 | 2 | 47% | 3 | £1,839,000 | 2 |
| 3 | Linklaters | £269,000 | 4 | 46% | 4 | £1,697,000 | 4 |
| 4 | Macfarlanes | £225,000 | 7 | 44% | 5 | £1,723,000 | 3 |
| 5 | Sacker & Partners | £270,000 | 3 | 50% | 1 | £906,000 | 15 |
| 6 | Allen & Overy | £229,000 | 6 | 40% | 9 | £1,660,000 | 5 |
| 7 | Dickson Minto | £232,000 | 5 | 41% | 7 | £1,100,000 | 9 |
| 8 | Clifford Chance | £218,000 | 8 | 38% | 12 | £1,617,000 | 6 |
| 9 | Travers Smith | £160,000 | 10 | 36% | 15 | £1,235,000 | 7 |
| 10 | Stewarts | £144,000 | 12 | 36% | 18 | £1,230,000 | 8 |
| 11 | Hogan Lovells | £185,000 | 9 | 34% | 20 | £1,039,000 | 11 |
| 12 | Ashurst | £135,000 | 14 | 36% | 16 | £972,000 | 13 |
| 13 | Taylor Wessing | £159,000 | 11 | 40% | 10 | £655,000 | 28 |
| 14 | Harbottle & Lewis | £140,000 | 13 | 41% | 6 | £632,000 | 32 |
| 15 | Herbert Smith Freehills | £119,000 | 21 | 32% | 23 | £949,000 | 14 |
| 16 | Wiggin | £130,000 | 16 | 38% | 11 | £576,000 | 35 |
| 17 | Mishcon de Reya | £125,000 | 18 | 30% | 33 | £1,000,000 | 12 |
| 18 | Gowling WLG | £135,000 | 15 | 41% | 8 | £510,000 | 41 |
| 19 | Simmons & Simmons | £120,000 | 19 | 32% | 25 | £710,000 | 23 |
| 20 | Fladgate | £109,000 | 24 | 31% | 27 | £805,000 | 18 |
| 21 | Norton Rose Fulbright | £129,000 | 17 | 32% | 26 | £687,000 | 27 |
| 22 | Stephenson Harwood | £109,000 | 25 | 32% | 24 | £727,000 | 21 |
| 23 | DLA Piper | £116,000 | 22 | 27% | 43 | £1,069,000 | 10 |
| 24 | Osborne Clarke | £96,000 | 30 | 31% | 28 | £703,000 | 25 |
| 25 | Brodies | £74,000 | 41 | 35% | 19 | £708,000 | 24 |
| 26 | Addleshaw Goddard | £84,000 | 34 | 29% | 34 | £730,000 | 20 |
| 27 | Walker Morris | £82,000 | 35 | 34% | 21 | £593,000 | 34 |
| 28 | Bristows | £99,000 | 28 | 38% | 14 | £417,000 | 53 |
| 29 | Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner | £120,000 | 20 | 26% | 46 | £640,000 | 29 |
| 30 | Boodle Hatfield | £104,000 | 27 | 29% | 39 | £638,000 | 30 |
| 31 | Lewis Silkin | £111,000 | 23 | 38% | 13 | £389,000 | 61 |
| 32 | Fieldfisher | £73,000 | 42 | 27% | 44 | £800,000 | 19 |
| 33 | Forsters | £92,000 | 32 | 29% | 35 | £486,000 | 42 |
| 34 | CMS | £86,000 | 33 | 29% | 40 | £574,000 | 37 |
| 35 | Watson Farley & Williams | £97,000 | 29 | 28% | 42 | £559,000 | 39 |
| 36 | RPC | £96,000 | 31 | 30% | 32 | £441,000 | 50 |
| 37 | Clyde & Co | £76,000 | 39 | 25% | 49 | £690,000 | 26 |
| 38 | Winckworth Sherwood | £66,000 | 48 | 27% | 45 | £719,000 | 22 |
| 39 | Eversheds Sutherland | £69,000 | 45 | 23% | 56 | £886,000 | 16 |
| 40 | Burges Salmon | £76,000 | 38 | 30% | 31 | £442,000 | 49 |
| 41 | Womble Bond Dickinson | £104,000 | 26 | 28% | 41 | £417,000 | 54 |
| 42 | Burness Paull | £63,000 | 50 | 32% | 22 | £433,000 | 52 |
| 43 | Mills & Reeve | £68,000 | 46 | 31% | 29 | £416,000 | 55 |
| 44 | Shepherd and Wedderburn | £70,000 | 44 | 31% | 30 | £415,000 | 56 |
| 45 | HFW | £76,000 | 37 | 24% | 52 | £481,000 | 43 |
| 46 | Fletchers Solicitors* | £57,000 | 53 | 20% | 64 | £814,000 | 17 |
| 47 | Farrer & Co | £71,000 | 43 | 24% | 53 | £547,000 | 40 |
| 48 | Pinsent Masons | £64,000 | 49 | 23% | 55 | £611,000 | 33 |
| 49 | Russell-Cooke | £74,000 | 40 | 36% | 17 | £225,000 | 86 |
| 50 | Stevens & Bolton | £54,000 | 54 | 25% | 48 | £444,000 | 48 |
| 51 | Digby Brown | £54,000 | 56 | 29% | 37 | £375,000 | 63 |
| 52 | Howard Kennedy | £80,000 | 36 | 25% | 47 | £300,000 | 73 |
| 53 | Bird & Bird | £54,000 | 55 | 19% | 68 | £575,000 | 36 |
| 54 | DAC Beachcroft | £43,000 | 63 | 21% | 59 | £570,000 | 38 |
| 55 | Freeths | £43,000 | 64 | 21% | 60 | £461,000 | 46 |
| 56 | BDB Pitmans | £66,000 | 47 | 29% | 36 | £192,000 | 93 |
| 57 | Birketts | £44,000 | 62 | 25% | 50 | £372,000 | 64 |
| 58 | Trowers & Hamlins | £58,000 | 52 | 23% | 57 | £354,000 | 68 |
| 59 | Harper Macleod | £49,000 | 59 | 29% | 38 | £243,000 | 84 |
| 60 | Charles Russell Speechlys | £53,000 | 57 | 19% | 67 | £400,000 | 59 |
| 61 | Hill Dickinson | £46,000 | 61 | 21% | 63 | £371,000 | 65 |
| 62 | Kennedys | £39,000 | 69 | 17% | 72 | £439,000 | 51 |
| 63 | Capsticks | £36,000 | 71 | 19% | 66 | £405,000 | 58 |
| 64 | Bates Wells | £62,000 | 51 | 24% | 51 | £192,000 | 94 |
| 65 | Withers | £51,000 | 58 | 16% | 73 | £354,000 | 67 |
| 66 | Shakespeare Martineau | £46,000 | 60 | 17% | 70 | £350,000 | 70 |
| 67 | Bevan Brittan | £33,000 | 76 | 15% | 80 | £466,000 | 45 |
| 68 | Brabners | £41,000 | 66 | 21% | 58 | £292,000 | 77 |
| 69 | Penningtons Manches Cooper | £39,000 | 68 | 16% | 76 | £360,000 | 66 |
| 70 | JMW | £28,000 | 84 | 17% | 71 | £406,000 | 57 |
| 71 | Shoosmiths | £30,000 | 79 | 13% | 88 | £453,000 | 47 |
| 72 | Royds Withy King | £40,000 | 67 | 23% | 54 | £147,000 | 96 |
| 73 | Michelmores | £29,000 | 80 | 18% | 69 | £338,000 | 71 |
| 74 | Wedlake Bell | £36,000 | 72 | 16% | 77 | £311,000 | 72 |
| 75 | Ashfords | £34,000 | 73 | 16% | 74 | £292,000 | 76 |
| 76 | Keystone Law* | £13,000 | 98 | 9% | 94 | £633,000 | 31 |
| 77 | Kingsley Napley | £31,000 | 78 | 14% | 84 | £388,000 | 62 |
| 78 | Keoghs* | £42,000 | 65 | 20% | 65 | £160,000 | 95 |
| 79 | DMH Stallard | £37,000 | 70 | 16% | 75 | £267,000 | 81 |
| 80 | Browne Jacobson | £18,000 | 92 | 12% | 91 | £475,000 | 44 |
| 81 | Cripps Pemberton Greenish | £34,000 | 74 | 21% | 62 | £203,000 | 91 |
| 82 | TLT | £31,000 | 77 | 15% | 82 | £350,000 | 69 |
| 83 | Foot Anstey | £29,000 | 81 | 13% | 89 | £400,000 | 60 |
| 84 | Ince* | £33,000 | 75 | 21% | 61 | £119,000 | 97 |
| 85 | Veale Wasbrough Vizards | £28,000 | 85 | 15% | 79 | £296,000 | 75 |
| 86 | Blake Morgan | £28,000 | 83 | 14% | 83 | £250,000 | 83 |
| 87 | Thorntons | £27,000 | 86 | 15% | 78 | £214,000 | 88 |
| 88 | Clarke Willmott | £25,000 | 88 | 13% | 85 | £232,000 | 85 |
| 89 | Irwin Mitchell* | £26,000 | 87 | 8% | 95 | £276,000 | 80 |
| 90 | Ward Hadaway | £17,000 | 95 | 10% | 93 | £300,000 | 74 |
| 91 | Weightmans | £18,000 | 93 | 10% | 92 | £289,000 | 78 |
| 92 | BLM | £22,000 | 89 | 13% | 90 | £223,000 | 87 |
| 93 | Gateley* | £28,000 | 82 | 13% | 86 | £87,000 | 98 |
| 94 | Minster Law* | £22,000 | 90 | 5% | 99 | £283,000 | 79 |
| 95 | Knights* | £17,000 | 94 | 15% | 81 | £71,000 | 99 |
| 96 | Harrison Clark Rickerbys | £14,000 | 97 | 13% | 87 | £200,000 | 92 |
| 97 | MW Solicitors* | £10,000 | 100 | 8% | 96 | £255,000 | 82 |
| 98 | Thompsons | £20,000 | 91 | 6% | 98 | £205,000 | 90 |
| 99 | Thrings | £15,000 | 96 | 8% | 97 | £209,000 | 89 |
| 100 | DWF* | £10,000 | 99 | 4% | 100 | £38,000 | 100 |
See methodology for footnotes.