Shahin: Differentiation now matters more
Fast-growing consumer law platform Lawhive has become the fifth biggest fee-share law firm after more than doubling in size in only a year.
By increasing its headcount by 229 lawyers last year, Lawhive not only left the top four fee-share firms in its wake in terms of expansion – gunnercooke was next with 70 – but grew its lawyers in the UK by more than any other law firm.
Researchers from Codex Edge, in its annual report on platform law firms, said Lawhive was also unusual in the numbers of new recruits it attracted from other fee-share firms as opposed to traditional law firms.
They said the firm “stands out as the clear outlier” in absolute headcount growth, with a net increase in lawyers “far exceeding all other platform firms” and highlighting the firm’s “exceptional recruitment momentum over the period”.
In all, there are now a record 5,297 lawyers working in fee-share firms, with the top five now consisting of Setfords (653), Keystone Law (586), Taylor Rose (513 – although recently it said it had over 1,000 on its books [1]), gunnercooke (480) and Lawhive (421).
They are followed by Spencer West (254), Excello Law (213) and Nexa Law (178). No other firm had more than 100.
Since 2022, the top four firms have recorded growing turnover and profit, “scaling while broadly maintaining or improving the returns generated by each fee-earner on their books”.
When measured by hires (and excluding departures), Lawhive (240) and Setfords (171) were the two most active firms in the country in 2025, followed by traditional firms Addleshaw Goddard (154), DWF (123) and DAC Beachcroft (112).
The top 10 was rounded out by TLT (104), Pinsent Masons (100), Weightmans (98), Keystone (95) and Taylor Rose (92).
Lawhive was unusual in attracting just over a quarter of its new recruits from other fee-share firms, compared to 12% at Setfords, 9% at Taylor Rose, 6% at gunnercooke and 3% at Keystone.
This excluded Lawhive’s acquisition last September [2] of fee-share law firm Woodstock Legal Services, as it continues to operate under its own brand.
“As more firms compete for the same pool of experienced consultant lawyers, some degree of internal ‘cannibalisation’ is inevitable,” Codex Edge said. “However, it was primarily the aggressive hiring of Lawhive which drove the overall increase of hires from this source.
“The fact remains that the firms operating the fee-share model are still drawing the overwhelming majority of their hires and growth from the traditional firms. This remains a very robust and healthy model.”
The researchers noted that, unlike most firms in the report, very few of Lawhive’s lawyers maintained “visible firm profiles or reference Lawhive prominently on LinkedIn, and fewer still include start dates”, making comparisons difficult.
Residential and commercial property remained the leading specialisms of fee-share lawyers, with 1,337 and 992 lawyers respectively, followed by commercial litigation (600), corporate M&A (446) and employment (386).
The top five fee-share law firms by compound annual growth rate over the last five years, which did not include Lawhive as a new entrant in that time, were Bexley Beaumont, Spencer West, Setfords, Arbor Law and Woodstock.
The average level of experience for lawyers moving to fee-share firms remained at 16 years’ post-qualification experience, compared to 12 for law firms generally, and reflecting the fact that lawyers moving to fee-share brought established client relationships.
Ahmed Shahin, director of technology and analytics at Codex Edge, pointed out that four of the 10 highest-hiring law firms across the entire legal market last year were platforms.
He went on: “These are not niche numbers. They reflect a fundamental shift in where experienced lawyers are choosing to build their careers.”
Mr Shahin added: “Scale, however, brings its own strategic questions. As the sector grows, differentiation matters more.
“The next phase will be shaped by how firms balance freedom with structure, and how effectively they support productivity, engagement and long-term sustainability across increasingly large consultant populations.”