Management at Howes Percival say they expect to create 50 new roles over the next two years on the back of “unprecedented” growth. The central England law firm said it had already brought in 50 new members of staff in the past couple of years, to meet increased demand for its services post-pandemic, and needed to bring in more.
The new jobs are being created within the firm's six offices in Leicester, Cambridge, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Norwich. The posts include partners, solicitors and support roles in areas such as accounts, IT and HR. The firm is also recruiting fee earners across all areas of the business. Currently Howes Percival has 55 partners and 147 lawyers.
The firm's corporate team – which celebrated a record year in 2022 completing more than 150 deals with a combined value of £700 million – has seen its headcount go up almost a quarter.
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Meanwhile the litigation team has grown by 38 per cent and the commercial property department has grown by 30 per cent. Other teams that have seen significant growth include employment, private client & estates and the property & social housing team.
Howes Percival's chairman Geraint Davies said a decision to invest in new offices in Cambridge and Milton Keynes had also paid off, with the latter doubling in size and Cambridge forecast to have significant growth as it becomes a full-service office.
Mr Davies said: “The firm has enjoyed significant success which has created more interest in our business and more demand for our services.
“It has definitely been a case of success breeding more success. We have been investing in our teams for a number of years, and as a result, the word got out that we were winning more business, which has generated more interest, both in terms of further instructions and increased recruitment.
"Our people are at the heart of that success, consistently providing excellent service to our clients and our continued growth will be based on the ongoing investment we make in our people, both through external appointments and nurturing our existing talent.
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“We've created an incredibly strong support mechanism around our teams to not only safeguard their wellbeing but also recognise and help those who want to progress their career with us.”
Natalie Clarke, Howes Percival head of people, said: “We've always had a strong reputation for our training programme and promoting from within, and we have built on that recently with our new leadership development programme.
“As a result, part of the plan is definitely to attract talented juniors who are looking for somewhere they can grow and continue their careers, while strengthening our existing teams.
"As well as wanting to attract the best legal talent, we are building our non-fee earner teams so that we can support our people and constantly deliver the best possible service for clients.
“While we have remained extremely busy, and we hope there are signs that the market is looking brighter, we do see the next year as an opportunity to attract top talent."