Charles Russell Speechlys posts 11% growth, credits private capital push

Charles Russell Speechlys has notched a strong 11% increase in revenue for FY25, with PEP nudging up 3% to £681,000.

UK revenue grew 9% to £190 million, while international income surged 18%, driven by standout 84% growth in Asia and solid performances from the firm’s Europe offices, too.

Strategy

The firm credited much of the growth to the expansion of its international private capital offering, saying it's committed to becoming the leading firm of choice in all major global wealth hubs. A new Milan launch in November added muscle to its private wealth capabilities. The firm says it expects to add new talent to the office in the coming months.

Tech and innovation remain a focus. In April last year, it launched a legal ops and innovation unit known as "Advanced Client Solutions" to streamline legal work delivery within the firm. It has an in-house AI tool known as "Sidekick" and earlier in July announced a partnership with AI platform Harvey.

The firm also continued to build out its partner bench globally, making 13 partner promotions in May - up from just two last year - and bringing in 15 laterals and senior hires over the year, including seven in the UK and three apiece in Asia and the Middle East.

What they said

"We are delighted with our growth this year, as our private capital strategy continues to flourish across our global business", said managing partner Simon Ridpath.

"Internationalisation is key to our growth, with a strong focus on key centres of wealth. We've added strategic hires in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, opened a new office in Milan, and invested in innovation and technology to better serve our clients.

"I am thankful to everyone at the Firm for their hard work and focus on delivering exceptional service to meet our clients’ complex legal needs, and to our clients for the trust they continue to place in us."