National law firm Setfords, which supports over 650 lawyers in a platform-based consultancy model, has jumped 19 places to 76th in The Lawyer UK Top 100, making it the fastest-growing law firm in the rankings.
Established in 2006 and headquartered in Guildford, Surrey, Setfords was the first full-service national law firm to launch a consultancy model in the UK. The firm now has a support team of 180-plus for its nationwide team of consultant lawyers, with a revenue growth of 47% year-on-year reaching almost £70 million.
The firm has chosen not to pursue mergers or acquisitions, instead focusing on attracting lawyers to join its platform-based consultancy model. ‘Our rise in The Lawyer UK Top 100 shows how much momentum our model has’, said co-CEO Chris Setford (pictured).
“Lawyers are increasingly choosing Setfords because we offer them freedom, control, and a level of support that simply doesn’t exist in traditional firms. This is organic growth in its truest form – lawyers voting with their feet.”
Chief growth officer George Reynolds added:
“The scale of this recruitment, paired with unrivalled infrastructure and support, is what continues to fuel our growth – and it’s clear from these rankings that our platform model is now firmly established as a mainstream alternative.”
As well as naming Setfords the fastest growing firm, The Lawyer commended it for having the highest lock-up reduction of any law firm in the UK Top 100 rankings since 2023, with a decrease of 28%.
‘Our success in reducing lock-up is the result of close collaboration with our lawyers combined with the introduction of automation and technology to make processes more efficient’, chief financial officer Angus McDowell explained.
“Ultimately, it hasn’t been about one big silver bullet, but rather a series of marginal gains across the breadth of our processes that together make a big impact.”
Co-CEO Guy Setford concluded:
“This recognition underlines not only our commercial strength but also our cultural difference. Growth achieved lawyer by lawyer and client by client is sustainable and resilient. That is what sets Setfords apart.”
