Nelsons’ record-breaking year

Nelsons’ ambitious plans to recapture the spirit it was founded on, while rejuvenating its culture, have resulted in a triumphant year for the regional law firm – with a record turnover and impressive growth. As it prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary, we learn about the Leicester office’s role in this success, and find out what’s next

There’s been a string of achievements at Nelsons over the last 12 months. “When I think back to becoming Chief Executive in 2017, I spoke at the AGM about wanting a cultural rejuvenation for Nelsons,” says CEO Stewart Vandermark.

“I felt that by investing in people and introducing something fresh, we could recapture the spirit that Nelsons was founded on – and in turn, enable better performance and a more positive workplace.”

“I’m pleased to see that those things have gradually come together and have delivered an incredible year. We couldn’t have seen such success without our hardworking and dedicated team in Leicester - they have really embraced the vision that we set out to achieve.

“Change can be daunting, but it is also a great way to release new energy and it really feels as though Nelsons has made significant strides this year, while still retaining its core sense of purpose.”

One of Nelsons’ biggest ambitions was to reach a turnover of £20m by the end of 2022. And as the firm heads towards its 40th anniversary amid the challenges and fallout of a tumultuous two years, this record-breaking figure has been met triumphantly.

Along with multiple Tier One rankings in The Legal 500, the company has also made its debut ranking in The Times’ top 250 law firms, commended for its personal injury and clinical negligence expertise.

Turnover for the Leicester office – based in New Walk – has increased by 19% in the last financial year to £4.6m. A key driver towards this success was the acquisition of niche family practice Glynis Wright & Co two years ago.

GAYLE ROWLEY, GLYNIS WRIGHT AND LISA-MARIE LEANDERS

Partner Glynis Wright MBE, who heads the Leicester family team, told us: “I’m incredibly proud of the team and the work they have done in the last year. We’ve seen fantastic results with fees of over £1.2m for the team, which has contributed towards the growth of the Leicester office.

“We’ve also welcomed Naomi Bond to the team in the last year and – along with Lisa-Marie Leanders’ promotion to partner on December 1 – the team continues to go from strength to strength.”

Gayle Rowley, who was also part of the Glynis Wright & Co leadership team, has just been listed in The Legal 500 as a next generation partner and continues to attract clients with her expertise in all aspects of family law, and alternative dispute resolution in particular.

With the current delays in the court system, this is a much sought-after specialism and an area we are looking to develop so that we can continue to empower our clients.

Glynis added: “When we completed the acquisition, our vision was to become the strongest family team – not just in Leicester, but the East Midlands. With the focus that myself, Lisa-Marie and Gayle have on developing our range of specialisms and growing the team, it’s going to be an exciting year ahead as we look forward to building on our strengths and achieving our ambitions.”

Stewart concludes: “It’s been a fantastic year for the Leicester office, with further promotions for wills and probate specialist Nadia Faki – becoming a partner – and corporate law specialist Ziaur Rahman and Danielle Young in the clinical negligence team promoted to legal directors.

“It’s great to see people not only progressing in their careers, but also developing our offering as a company.

“After setting out a clear vision and achieving the target of £20m, it’s a really exciting time as we finalise our vision for the next three years. We know there are some uncertain times ahead, but having recaptured the spirit that the firm was founded on, we’ll continue to drive growth through our culture and commitment to clients, looking for new opportunities as we set our sights on even greater goals for the future.”

More information can be found at nelsonslaw.co.uk, where you can also keep up to date with Nelsons’ latest news and events.

A family and divorce law expert who heads up the family team in Leicester, providing advice on high value and complex financial settlements, contested contact and residence cases involving children, pre and postnuptial agreements and cohabitation breakups.

A qualified collaborative law practitioner, LisaMarie advises on complex issues within divorce and financial settlements as well as pre and post nuptial agreements, separation agreements and cohabitation agreements. This includes private law Children Act disputes.

Having specialised in family law for 25 years, Gayle offers specialist advice on alternative forms of dispute resolution in divorce and separation, often dealing with complex financial settlements as well as private children law and resolution of child arrangements.