Mills & Reeve announces another year of record turnover as Manchester office sees 14% growth

Leading UK law firm Mills & Reeve has broken through the £200 million turnover barrier for the first time after announcing 13.9% growth on the previous year. This took the firm’s turnover to a record £206.9 million for the 2025/26 financial year.

The firm’s Manchester office has seen turnover increase by 14% for the 2025/26 financial year, almost doubling fee income since 2022.

Firmwide, Mills & Reeve has also announced an employee profit share pool of more than £3.25 million, meaning most employees will receive an award of at least £2,300. The employee profit share award directly links to the firm’s financial performance and forms part of Mills & Reeve’s long-standing commitment to ensuring its people share in the success they help create.

Alongside the employee profit share award, Mills & Reeve has also significantly increased investment in discretionary performance-related bonuses across the business, reflecting the firm’s continued focus on recognising exceptional contribution and high performance.

The firm’s latest results were delivered against a backdrop of continued economic uncertainty and geopolitical disruption. Despite these challenges, Mills & Reeve continued to push ahead with its ambitious 2030 strategy, including growing international work through its M&R Global network to 30% of total revenue, building out a completely new C-suite, and continuing its Fearless Feedback client listening programme, which has now interviewed more than 5,000 clients to gain vital insights to help build long term relationships.

In the North West, the firm has also achieved several significant milestones and embarked on a range of exciting projects. These include:

• Continued investment in the growth of its people, with a stream of high-quality lateral hires and promotions in the region. This includes bolstering its North West construction team with the appointment of six industry specialist, with Ian Hardman and Jody Kite joining as partners; the appointment of Danielle Ingham as partner in the employment team; and the promotion of 16 people at the firm’s Manchester office.
• Expanding the firm’s Manchester office creating capacity for 30 more people, demonstrating the North West team’s rapid growth.
• Strengthening its position in the higher education sector, following the firm’s reappointment to the University of Manchester legal framework.
• Ongoing support in the regional community, including partnerships with local charities, such as FortAlice – the Manchester office’s chosen charity – as well as Factory International, Girls Out Loud and IntoUniversity, which the team has also volunteered with.
• Launching a new social mobility programme, Broadening Horizons, in partnership with the Social Mobility Business Partnership, with the scheme kicking off a 12-month pilot in the North West.
• Further investment in the firm’s technology and operational capabilities. This includes AI and other technology initiatives which are already helping people work more efficiently, collaborate more effectively, and deliver even greater value for clients.

Chris Ross, partner at Mills & Reeve and head of the North West office, said: “These results demonstrate the strength of our strategy, the quality of our people and the trust our clients continue to place in us. Growing turnover by more than 11% in what remains a challenging economic environment is a significant achievement. We have continued to invest in the future of the firm while maintaining strong financial discipline and delivering outstanding service for our clients.

“One of the things that makes Mills & Reeve special is our belief that success should be shared. The award of more than £3.25 million through our employee profit share this year is testament to that commitment, helping to make sure colleagues across the business benefit directly from the firm’s performance.

“Looking ahead, we’re continuing to focus on delivering our 2030 strategy through our client experience, investment in our people, technology and market-leading sector expertise, while maintaining the culture and collaborative approach that differentiate us. The North West team will play a vital role in bringing that ambition forward, as we continue to support dynamic and exciting regional businesses, whether that’s through our leading M&A team, our award-winning health and care team, or through our standout commercial and private client work.”