Osborne Clarke’s international business grew revenue 4% over the past financial year, hitting a record €547.5m.
The firm also grew UK turnover by 7% to a record £256.6m, with profit per equity partner (PEP) in the UK breaking the £800k threshold for the first time. That equates to five-year growth of 166%, with its international business also expanding 72% over the same period.
Omar Al-Nuaimi, the firm’s international CEO, said: “Growing our international revenue to €547.5m is a great achievement and a testament to the hard work of our teams around the world. This year we’re investing heavily in creating a seamless client experience by implementing a new international practice management and finance system. This sets us up brilliantly to support planned significant growth over the coming five-year strategic period.”
The firm made 17 partner promotions internationally over the past year and made 10 strategic lateral partner hires.
The firm said it has continued to see strong growth across all areas of its regulatory expertise, including in its technology, media and communications, financial services, and retail and consumer teams. It also noted robust performance in its transactions practice and growth in its IP group, but did not disclose any numbers.
Conrad Davies, Osborne Clarke’s UK managing partner, said: “Our investments in strengthening our team and future-proofing our business are really starting to pay off. That means better outcomes for our clients and our people, and I’m particularly pleased that we’ve been able to reward our entire UK team with a 5% profit share.
“We’ve maintained our focus on our client strategy to ensure we remain trusted partners, combining legal expertise with sector insight to help our clients navigate change and seize opportunities in a rapidly changing environment. We also boosted our OC Solutions offer, with a range of client-friendly innovations coming on-stream that are transforming how we work with our clients.”
Client highlights over the past year include being appointed to National Grid’s main legal panel and reappointed to Taylor Wimpey’s panel. It also successfully represented US-based Optis Cellular Technology in a $502m IP case against Apple in the UK Court of Appeal, which was seen as a major victory for Standard Essential Patent holders.
The firm’s transactions team also advised British fashion brand Mulberry on a £21.2m fundraising and retail offer, and consumer loans specialist Abound on an up-to-£800m financing round. It also advised banking giant HSBC on its investment in Finbourne Technology as part of one of the UK’s largest series B funding rounds.
On the ESG front, the firm also said it has reduced scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% over the past five years, adding that 16% of partners and half of its executive board members are now certified carbon literate.
Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]
