Press Release – January 2025
One of Yorkshire’s leading law firms plans to build on the success it achieved last year by making 2025 the most successful year in its 47-year history.
Leeds-headquartered Ison Harrison posted its most successful trading period ever for last year, making 2024 its most profitable year since it was founded, achieving a record turnover of over £27 million, up 23% on the previous year.
Over the past five years, the firm has more than doubled its turnover, which is expected to grow again in 2025. Factors such as the acquisition of law firm Cohen Cramer Solicitors and the growth of various departments have contributed to this success. Ison Harrison saw growth across all its departments in 2024, but it was a stand-out year for the property, family and commercial teams who enjoyed a 33%, 29% and 20% increase in turnover respectively.
The firm, which now employs more than 350 staff across the region, is also celebrating the third anniversary of employee ownership this month with employees benefiting from profit distributions on the back of the firm’s strong financial performance. Individual profit distributions approved by Ison Harrison’s Board of Trustees saw all employees with over one year’s service receive a tax-free distribution of £4,000 each, the same amount that was distributed in 2023.
Ison Harrison became one of the first regional law firms in the UK to become a 100% employee-owned business in January 2022 after the three main shareholder directors agreed to sell the business to an Employee Ownership Trust. The successful transition to an EOT was cemented when the firm was shortlisted as a finalist in the Employee-Owned Business of the Year category at the UK Employee Ownership Awards 2024. The firm was the only law firm to be nominated.
Managing Director Jonathan Wearing, commented: “Last year proved to be the most successful year in our history and following our transition to full employee ownership, the firm continues to go from strength to strength. The efforts of the entire team helped deliver a record year for the firm last year which has put us in a great position to ensure that 2025 will be even more successful and eventful.
“The move to employee ownership was a defining moment for us. As the firm continues to expand its significant presence across Yorkshire, the flexible structure that employee ownership provides offers the ideal platform for future growth, attracting fresh talent and providing stability for existing staff. In 2025, we can build on the outstanding achievements of 2024, boosting our presence and visibility in the region by opening more offices and increasing the employee headcount. I’m immensely proud of the great strides made in 2024 and look forward to building on this in 2025 and beyond.”
The firm opened two new branch offices last year in Queensbury and Selby, increasing the firm’s branch network to 20 with further office openings across the region planned for the first quarter of 2025.
Additional notable achievements by the firm in 2024 included renewed Lexcel accreditation, the approved legal industry quality mark for client care, compliance and practice management. The firm was also a double winner at the Yorkshire Legal Awards winning in the residential property and personal injury and clinical negligence categories.
Ison Harrison employs more than 350 staff across Yorkshire, offering the broadest range of legal services in the region.
The firm has over 10 Law Society accreditations including Lexcel, Clinical Negligence, Family Law, Immigration & Asylum, Conveyancing Quality and SRA Higher Courts Rights – civil and criminal.
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