Freeths

What Freeths does

Freeths is a full-service UK commercial law firm operating as a limited liability partnership (Freeths LLP, with a separate Scottish entity, Freeths Scotland LLP) headquartered at Cumberland Court, 80 Mount Street, Nottingham. The firm employs approximately 1,200 colleagues, including roughly 170 partners, and operates from 13 offices across the UK spanning London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Glasgow, and regional centres. Its practice spans the full legal spectrum across corporate & commercial, banking & finance, real estate, employment, pensions, immigration, dispute resolution, restructuring & insolvency, competition, compliance & regulatory, construction & engineering, technology & data, and private client & family services, organised across 16+ sector specialisms including retail, hospitality, clean energy, life sciences, and financial services.

Freeths generates revenue through professional legal services fees billed to private and commercial clients on a quote-based, matter-by-matter basis. Go-to-market is relationship-led and sector-driven, supported by content marketing (Horizon Scanner publications across 20+ practice areas), events, email newsletters, earned media, and digital channels including an iManage Share-based client portal. Technology is layered onto legal workflows through an expanded December 2025 partnership with Legora for Generative AI, alongside dedicated Digital Law, Legal Data Analytics, and document automation practices.

The firm's competitive positioning is anchored in a record 97 promotions including 8 new partners effective 2026, back-to-back Law Firm of the Year wins at the Legal Business Awards 2024 and City AM Awards 2025, B Corp certification, and a Science Based Targets initiative-validated net zero by 2040 commitment. Turnover for the financial year ended 31 March 2025 was £166.8m, and the firm is actively executing a portfolio shift, having agreed in May 2026 to divest its clinical negligence and Court of Protection teams to Fletchers Group while hiring senior partners from CMS, Shoosmiths, and Womble Bond Dickinson to deepen Corporate and Real Estate capabilities.

Name

Freeths

Legal name

Freeths LLP

Website

https://freeths.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Freeths is a UK full-service commercial law firm with ~1,200 colleagues, ~170 partners, and 13 offices, serving private and commercial clients across 16+ sectors via corporate, real estate, employment, dispute resolution, and private client practices, reporting £166.8m turnover for FY2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Professional legal services billed to private and commercial clients across the UK. Revenue generated through legal fees for corporate, employment, real estate, dispute resolution, private client, and other legal services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freeths is a full-service UK commercial law firm delivering legal advice and representation across more than 15 practice areas, including corporate & commercial, banking & finance, employment & pensions, real estate, dispute resolution, restructuring & insolvency, private client & family, technology & data, and compliance & regulatory matters. The firm serves both businesses and private individuals from 13 UK offices with a relationship-based service model, supplemented by AI-driven workflows through its Legora partnership for enhanced efficiency.

Product overview

Freeths is a full-service UK law firm operating as a single integrated platform offering comprehensive legal services across 13 UK offices with over 1,200 colleagues. The firm's core offering consists of practice area specialisms including Corporate & Commercial Law, Banking & Finance, Commercial Law (immigration, contracts, employment, IP, pensions), Compliance & Regulatory, Construction & Engineering, Dispute Resolution, Employment/Pensions/Immigration, Private Client & Family, Real Estate, Restructuring & Insolvency, Competition Law, Infrastructure & Energy, Technology and Data, plus specialized offerings like Legal Data Analytics and Digital Law. Supplementary digital services include a Client Portal for secure matter management, a Horizon Scanner providing regular legal updates across 20+ practice areas, and a Retail & Consumer-specific Horizon Scanner for sector-specific insights. The AI partnership with Legora enhances the firm's technology capabilities for legal workflow automation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate & Commercial Law Services
• Banking & Finance
• Commercial Law
• Compliance & Regulatory
• Construction & Engineering
• Dispute Resolution
• Employment, Pensions & Immigration
• Private Client & Family
• Real Estate
• Restructuring & Insolvency
• Competition Law
• Infrastructure & Energy Projects
• Technology and Data
• Legal Data Analytics (LDA)
• Digital Law

Quantifiable outcome

• 97 promotions including 8 new partners in record promotions round
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LegoracoreTechnology or Integration · 22 December 2025Expanded long-term partnership with Legora, a company specializing in Generative AI for the legal sector, to enhance AI-driven legal workflows. The collaboration aims to improve efficiency and security in legal tasks, with Legora's capabilities embedded into Freeths' operations for faster, more secure service delivery.
• NatureSpace Partnership LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with NatureSpace Partnership exemplifies Freeths' 'one firm, one future 2030' strategy and cross-team efforts. NSP offers solutions for land developers facing delays due to protected species like great crested newts. Featured as a success story case study.
• MHAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with MHA, an independent UK member of Baker Tilly International, to provide retail and consumer sector insights and predictions. MHA provides audit, tax, consulting, and advisory services content featured on Freeths' horizon scanner.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DWF: UK-headquartered, multi-office full-service law firm with comparable scale and similar commercial/private client mix. Operates as a listed legal services group, making it a structural comparable to Freeths in the UK mid-market full-service segment.
• Irwin Mitchell: Large UK full-service law firm with national office network and overlapping practice areas including private client, real estate, employment and dispute resolution. Directly comparable in scale, sector breadth and UK mid-market positioning.
• Shoosmiths: UK national full-service law firm with similar office footprint, sector specialisations and commercial/private client split. Recently named as a source of lateral partner moves to Freeths, indicating directly comparable talent competition.
• Womble Bond Dickinson: Large UK law firm with significant regional and sector specialisations, comparable in headcount and office coverage. Source of recent lateral partner hires to Freeths, reflecting directly comparable talent and client overlap.
• Gateley: UK-listed full-service commercial law firm with comparable practice mix (corporate, real estate, employment, dispute resolution) and national office presence. A direct mid-market full-service peer with similar sector specialisation strategy.
• Weightmans: UK national law firm with strong sector focus across insurance, public sector, health and real estate, with comparable headcount. Directly comparable mid-market full-service peer with similar regional depth outside London.
• Trowers & Hamlins: UK-headquartered international law firm with comparable full-service practice mix and similar mid-market positioning. Overlaps significantly in real estate, corporate, employment and private client work.
• Browne Jacobson: UK national law firm with strong sector focus (health, insurance, education, public sector) and similar regional office footprint. Directly comparable as a UK mid-market full-service firm with sector-led strategy.

Broad incumbents

• CMS: Global top-tier law firm with significant UK presence and broad practice coverage overlapping Freeths' corporate, real estate and employment offerings. Operates at a larger scale and broader geographic footprint, making it a broad incumbent rather than a head-to-head mid-market competitor.

Emerging players

• Knights: Listed UK legal and professional services group built through aggressive acquisition, operating in overlapping UK mid-market segments. Represents the PE-backed roll-up model that competes with Freeths for talent and clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freeths