Porter Dodson, the South West-based UK Top 200 law firm, has announced a record-breaking year of growth and achievement, increasing revenue to £20.2m, while retaining the highly prestigious Gold Investors In People accreditation for the third successive time.
Across its Wellington, Taunton, Yeovil, Sherborne, Poundbury, Bridport and Exeter offices, the firm has seen year-on-year growth of 15.5%, leading to a 25.4% leap in net profit.
These impressive results round off a year in which the firm has achieved significant headcount increases, made possible in part by the opening of its new office in Southernhay, Exeter. This growth has enabled the firm to invest further in client relationships, its people, and its communities, delivering trusted legal expertise to a wider audience.
Sustained growth has been driven by the hard work of its dedicated team, enhanced operational efficiency, and a commitment to recruiting and retaining the highest calibre of Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners ranked lawyers. This approach has enabled the firm, which has grown to a headcount of over 200, to deliver heavyweight expertise across the South West.
Exceeding goals laid out within the firm’s 2024 five-year business strategy, the practice has already surpassed its 10% year-on-year target rate of growth by over 50%. This has been underpinned by strong performances across the firm, notably in the private client and corporate commercial practice areas. As a result, the firm is actively recruiting to meet demand with five partner positions as well as senior associate and legal advisor roles currently available.
Building on the achievements of the last year, Porter Dodson aims to sustainably and ethically grow the business to become the leading regional law firm in the South West, committed to acting as a champion of its local and regional communities. As part of this approach, the firm aims to achieve B Corp accreditation within the next year – a globally recognised mark that shows a business meets high standards of social and environmental responsibility across five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. This builds on the firm’s Gold Investors in People accreditation, which recognises the firm’s outstanding investment in its culture, values, and focus on developing its people.
Commenting on its results and plans for the future, Kate James, Managing Partner at Porter Dodson, said: “As a firm, our focus is on building trusted, long-term relationships both with our communities and with our clients. This is only made possible through the dedication, commitment, and hard work of our team, who have together helped the firm achieve an impressive set of results thanks to their outstanding work for clients.
“Across all our services, we provide collaborative, supportive, commercial, and pragmatic solutions to our clients. We also take care to be part of the fabric of the community in which we work by supporting local initiatives and events. For us, this makes us who we are, and it is an approach that is driving our success.”
Kate added: “Combined with our belief in the integration of new talent alongside established expertise, we are creating a culture where innovation is flourishing, and collaboration is driving performance. This creates a united, future-focused partnership where excellence and care lie at the heart of all that we do. This, we believe, aligns closely with the principles of being a B Corp, an accreditation which we look forward to achieving in the coming year.”
