Bristol-headquartered national law firm Burges Salmon today hailed its sixth consecutive year of sustained growth as proof that remaining independent in a fiercely competitive market pays off.
Turnover for the year to April 30 increased by 8.2% to £87.4m with profit per equity partner (PEP) up by 7% to £523,000. 
Burges Salmon is one of Bristol’s ‘big two’ law firms – but unlike long-time rival Osborne Clarke, it has stayed focused on the UK and remained independent rather than seek tie-ups or alliances.
It has also stayed away from the mergers that have dominated the legal sector for the past few years as competition has intensified.
Senior partner Alan Barr, pictured, called the results a “vindication” of the firm’s strategy and culture.
He said: “We are pleased to have delivered another positive set of financial results.
“We have continued to grow organically, rather than through merger, which has enabled us to focus on delivering excellent client service and to retain and nurture our strong cultural identity.
“We’re happy with the numbers but what we’re most pleased about is that we see this as a vindication of our strategy and culture at the firm.
“For us, the real signs of success have been the clients we’ve acted for, the awards we’ve won, and the retention and hiring of great talent.”
The firm launched a new brand and website last month which enabled it to refresh its strategy to focus on its strengths and build scale in its key sectors and services. It said it would achieve this specifically through focusing on core service expertise, specialist expertise and sector expertise.
During the year Burges Salmon was appointed to a number of legal panels including the John Lewis Partnership, Costain Group – to provide it with legal advice across its business including in relation to construction, real estate and engineering, and employment – and to the newly created panel at the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
It was also named Real Estate Team of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2016 and the Legal Business Awards 2016 and was highly commended for Property Team of the Year at the Legal Week Awards 2015.
Other accolades included being named Legal Team of the Year – Large Firm at the STEP Private Client Awards 2015/16, and Advisory Firm of the Year at the New Energy & Cleantech Awards for the second year running.
Its commitment to its people was underlined by its accreditation with the prestigious Investors in People Gold Standard, the management framework for high performance through people.
The two-office firm – it has a large base in the City as well as its Bristol HQ – continued to invest in its people during the period, including appointing five new partners across key growth areas such as real estate, environment, pensions and banking. It now has more than 700 employees, including 360 lawyers and 85 partners. In contrast Osborne Clarke has 700 lawyers in 20 international offices.
