Walker Morris Leeds reports £90.2 million in fee revenue with 11% year-on-year growth, a record 46% net profit margin, and profit per equity partner exceeding £1.1 million as the firm enters the final year of its £100m Ambition 27 strategy
Walker Morris, the independent commercial law firm headquartered at 33 Wellington Street, has reported record fee revenue of £90.2 million for the year ending 30 April 2026 – the first time the firm has exceeded the £90 million milestone. The result represents 11 per cent growth on the previous year and 65 per cent fee growth since 2020/21, putting Walker Morris Leeds on track to deliver its Ambition 27 target of £100 million or more in revenue. Net profit increased by 11 per cent, delivering the firm’s strongest ever annual net profit margin of 46 per cent, while profit per equity partner exceeded £1.1 million. The firm grew headcount by 7 per cent to more than 530 people, with staff turnover at its lowest level in six years and overall staff engagement at 88 per cent.
Why This Matters For Leeds
A Leeds-headquartered law firm hitting £90 million with a 46 per cent profit margin and £1.1 million PEP is a statement about what an independent firm can achieve from a Northern base. Walker Morris has grown 65 per cent in five years without merging, being acquired, or listing. For Leeds’ legal market, a firm approaching £100 million from Wellington Street raises the benchmark for every competitor in the city.
What Drove Walker Morris Leeds Growth
Commercial Corporate, Infrastructure and Energy, and Real Estate all saw strong double-digit growth, alongside new market share in the defence sector. International instructions from more than 70 countries bolstered annual fees. Managing Partner Jeanette Burgess, who won Management Partner of the Year at the Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards 2026, said the revenue milestone has been driven by increasing market share in prioritised areas, with strong momentum across Infrastructure and Energy, Consumer Finance, and the Fund market group. She said the Corporate team delivered its strongest year on record despite wider market pressures, and that the firm is advising on more complex, higher-value regulatory and cross-border matters. The firm also reported that 64 per cent of staff are actively engaging with AI to deliver more efficient services.
“Our revenue milestone has been driven by increasing market share in the areas we have prioritised with strong momentum across Infrastructure and Energy Consumer Finance and our Fund market group alongside a marked rise in international instructions. We are advising on more complex higher-value regulatory and cross-border matters reflecting the confidence clients place in us.”
— Jeanette Burgess, Managing Partner, Walker Morris
The Client Mandates Behind the Numbers
Walker Morris Leeds’s client roster connects directly to stories Leeds Today has covered. The firm advised Endless on the sale of Hovis to Associated British Foods – the same Leeds PE firm whose Anochrome acquisition Leeds Today reported this week. It advised Caddick Developments in a High Court defence of a strategic employment development. Other mandates include National Grid’s £35 billion infrastructure investment programme, a $440 million road construction dispute in the Middle East, the Mersey Tidal Power Project DCO application, and Unite’s £250 million student accommodation development with the University of Newcastle. The firm also made 26 internal promotions including three new partners – Lorna Hopps in Employment, Alex Jones in Construction and Engineering, and Josh Kitson in Planning and Environment – alongside three new external director appointments in Pensions, Infrastructure and Energy, and Planning.
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- Learn more about Walker Morris: https://www.walkermorris.co.uk/news/walker-morris-hits-90m-with-record-revenue-and-double-digit-growth/
