DAC Beachcroft
A guide to the law firm DAC Beachcroft: what it’s best known for, recent work highlights, what it pays, and its revenue and profitability.
A guide to the law firm DAC Beachcroft: what it’s best known for, recent work highlights, what it pays, and its revenue and profitability.
DAC Beachcroft is an international law firm headquartered in the UK.
One of those firms that’s bigger than you think, the firm is best known for its top-tier insurance work. DAC Beachcroft has been on an international expansion spree since its 2011 merger between Beachcroft and Davies Arnold Cooper - two British legacy firms with roots stretching all the way back to 1762.
Since the tie-up, it’s been full steam ahead.
DAC Beachcroft has merged with firms in Scotland, Chile and Colombia, and struck alliances in Brazil, Malaysia, China and across Scandinavia. Offices have opened in Paris, Belfast, Milan and Peru, among others. Not bad for a firm that started out with a regional UK focus.
Today, DAC Beachcroft has more than 3,000 staff, including around 350 partners, spread across 11 UK offices, including a City HQ in the Walbrook Building. Other bases include Bristol, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle - plus more than a dozen international outposts.
Another big breakthrough came at the start of 2025 with the firm announcing a US launch, with a team of 30 and offices in New York and LA, bringing together insurance-focused teams from two domestic US firms to launch the practice.
Financially, the firm is in good health. Revenue sits at £327 million, and PEP has breached the £700,000 mark. That’s ten years of uninterrupted growth.
Insurance is still the core - DAC Beachcroft is considered a market leader in the space - but the firm has strong practices in health and real estate, plus growing strength in construction, aviation and public sector work.
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Some recent deal and industry highlights for DAC Beachcroft include:
Leicester City Football Club Helicopter Crash: DAC Beachcroft is representing helicopter manufacturer Leonardo SpA over the £2bn claim relating to the fatal crash that killed Leicester City FC owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in October 2018.
Landsec Acquisition of Liverpool ONE: DAC Beachcroft advised property company Landsec on its acquisition of a 92% stake in Liverpool ONE, the 1.6m sq ft shopping centre with 22 million annual visitors, in 2024.
Defence of NHS England in COVID-19 Judicial Review: In one of 2022’s most high-profile public law cases, DAC Beachcroft represented NHS England in R (Gardner and Harris) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, a judicial review of the Government’s pandemic response and its impact on care home residents. The case was dismissed.
Claims Solutions Group: DAC Beachcroft owns Claims Solutions Group (CSG) - a claims specialist handling personal injury claims on behalf of insurers and corporate clients. As of 2023, it was reported to employ over 1,000 people and had attracted interest from private equity over a potential acquisition.
Strategic Alliances: DAC Beachcroft is a founding member of Legalign Global, an alliance of law firms specialising in insurance law, with partners in Germany, Canada, the USA and the UK.
Top for Working Families: In 2024, DAC Beachcroft was named in the list of 'Top 10 Employers for Working Families' for 2024. The list is compiled by Working Families, the UK’s national work-life balance charity, and is based on an assessment of the UK’s top family-friendly employers.
DAC Beachcroft is a full service corporate law firm. It is a leading national level firm in the UK and its regional offices are highly-rated across a broad range of practice areas for their work in their respective regions (e.g. North West, South West, Scotland).
When it comes to ‘City work’, it is best known for its expertise in the following areas:
Insurance: What the firm is best known for globally, DAC Beachcroft is considered to have a market-leading insurance practice, particularly for contentious matters. Its contentious practice has a Band 3 ranking from Chambers.
Employment: DAC Beachcroft is a go-to for employment advice, known especially for its employer-side advice, advising clients across sectors including financial services and healthcare. It has a Band 2 ranking from Chambers.
Real Estate: DAC Beachcroft has a leading real estate practice, known for its advice on the full range of property-related matters, including a highly-regarded construction practice. It has a Band 2 ranking by Chambers on mid-market real estate work.
Public Sector: The firm is known for its strong public sector practice, advising on contentious and non-contentious public law matters, especially known for its advice to healthcare clients, including NHS bodies.
We use Chambers rankings to demonstrate a firm's strengths. Chambers is the most highly-regarded provider of law firm rankings in the legal industry. Law firms are ranked in bands from 1 (highest) to 6 (lowest) across a range of practice areas.
It's important to note that being ranked in any band at all is still considered a significant achievement.
When it comes to insurance work, DAC Beachcroft competes with rivals firms with leading contentious insurance practices, including the likes of Clyde & Co, Kennedys and CMS.
Here’s what DAC Beachcroft pays its trainees and newly qualified (NQ) lawyers in London:
Trainee First Year: £42,000
Trainee Second Year: £44,000
Newly Qualified (NQ): Undisclosed
We have a list of salaries paid by all of the UK’s top law firms here.
In 2023/24, DAC Beachcroft’s global revenue was £326.5 million.
In 2023/24, DAC Beachcroft’s profit per equity partner (PEP) was around £700,000.
In 2023, DAC Beachcroft’s profit per equity partner (PEP) was around £700,000, according to the firm.
This is the total amount of profit available for distribution among equity partners, divided by the number of equity partners at the firm.
This represents the average amount that equity partners are entitled to. Some will receive significantly more, some less. It depends on the firm’s profit-sharing formula and each partner’s seniority.
DAC Beachcroft offers around 20 training contracts in the UK each year.
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