UK platform firms collectively exceeded 5,000 laywers for the first time in 2025, according to a new report that also found such firms are increasingly attracting lawyers from large commercial rivals.
The report, by legal analytics company Codex Edge, said the milestone figure “confirmed the platform and fee-share model’s transition from alternative choice to established market force”.
A small group of firms make up the bulk of that number, with Setfords, Keystone, Taylor Rose and Gunnercooke boasting between 653 and 480 lawyers each. Meanwhile AI-powered newcomer Lawhive rocketed to fifth position with 421 lawyers after a net increase of 229 in 2025, a growth spurt that Codex said meant the market now has a “Big Five” of platform firms.
Platform firms utilise a consultant fee-share model, in which lawyers work on a self-employed basis and the firm provides back-office support. The model – which allows lawyers to keep a larger percentage of their billings than in a traditional partnership model, work remotely and decide which clients they take on – has grown rapidly over the past 10 years.
The report found that four of the 10 highest-hiring firms in the UK market in 2025 were platform firms. Lawhive and Setfords led the table outright with 240 and 171 hires respectively, ahead of any traditional firm, sitting ahead of Addleshaw Goddard’s 154 and DWF’s 123.
Residential property remains the dominant specialism by a significant margin, with 1,337 lawyers across the sector, a figure boosted by Lawhive’s rapid expansion in this area. Commercial property holds second place with 992 lawyers,
“reinforcing property law’s position as the structural backbone of the platform model”.
Development also entered the top 10 specialisms for the first time, displacing real estate finance, which the report said “indicates a growing appetite among platform firms for more transactional, project-based commercial work. Corporate M&A, employment and family all remain well-represented, continuing to demonstrate that the platform model has genuinely broadened beyond its property-oriented origins”.
The report also found platform firms are increasingly attracting lawyers from established commercial firms as well as smaller regional practices. There was net inflow of 69 lawyers from top 50 firms to those platforms in 2025, an increase of 38% on the previous year and something Codex said reflects how the model is “increasingly being seen as an active career choice rather than a default option for those with fewer alternatives”.
Keystone and Gunnercooke attracted the highest proportion of lawyers from top 50 firms. Keystone in particular is increasingly attracting senior lawyers from traditional rivals, including Clyde & Co’s former international arbitration group head Ben Knowles, who joined earlier this year.
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