Shoosmiths’ profit hit £80m in FY26, a record year for the firm that saw its profit per equity partner (PEP) exceed £1m for the second consecutive year.
PEP rose 3% to £1.04m in the year to 31 March 2026, having rocketed 30% the year before to £1.01m. Meanwhile, profit rose by 4% and turnover inched up 2% to £221.4m, marking 11 years of continuous growth.
The firm sold its serious injury business to PE-backed Fletchers last July and said that, excluding contributions from the divested business, turnover was up 5% and profit 11%.
The firm, which aims to be a leading upper mid-market law firm serving clients nationally and internationally by 2030, cited investment in technology and higher-value work across its three “key pillars” of corporate, litigation and real estate as growth drivers.
“The business remains highly focused and disciplined, with profit growth again outpacing revenue growth,” said Shoosmiths CEO, David Jackson. “That matters because it gives us the capacity to keep investing in our people and technology, so we can deliver even better outcomes for our clients.”
During FY26, the corporate team advised Five Arrows Principal Investments on the merger of software firms Totalmobile and Solvares Group, a deal that required co-counsel support across Germany and France, as well as for Apax‑backed S&W Group on its acquisitions of ClearViewIP and Peppercorn Tax as part of a wider buy‑and‑build consolidation strategy.
The corporate team was named London’s most prolific UK-based M&A adviser by deal number, after the firm acted on more City M&A matters than any other firm in 2025 – the fourth consecutive year it topped the ranking.
Standout work for the firm’s litigation team included acting for the joint liquidators of the former Somerfield Supermarkets business who have brought claims exceeding £450m against various entities of the Co-operative Group, while its real estate team acted for PRS REIT on the real estate aspects of its £1.1bn sale of The PRS REIT Holding Company to UK Housing Platform Bidco.
The firm brought on 23 lateral partners over the course of the year, including PE duo Tim Nye and Alison Chivers in London from Trowers & Hamlins. It also brought on Simon Levine, the former international managing partner of DLA Piper, as a strategic adviser to its board in support of its 2030 strategy.
Shoosmiths’ investment in technology included Project Apollo, a proprietary generative AI-powered contract review platform built with Microsoft. Having launched a £1m bonus pool tied to the collective generation of one million Microsoft Copilot prompts last year, it also committed a further £1m investment to support more purposeful use cases focused on client service, productivity and lawyer development.
“This has been a year of real progress for Shoosmiths,” Kirsten Hewson, chairperson of Shoosmiths, said.
“Clients are dealing with more complexity, more pressure and more change. They want advisers who bring sound judgement, commerciality and pace, alongside the confidence to use technology where it genuinely improves outcomes. That’s where our firm is focused. We’re investing in the future while staying close to what sets us apart: strong relationships, excellent people and a practical understanding of what clients actually need.”
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