Anderson Strathern reports record annual turnover

Legal firm Anderson Strathern has reported a record year with double-digit earnings growth and turnover exceeding £22 million.

Anderson Strathern chair Bruce Farquhar and managing partner Murray McCall. Picture: Stewart Attwood

The Edinburgh-headquartered law firm posted a 10 per cent increase in net profits for the year to 31 August and reported record annual revenues of £22.8m, up from £21.5m in the previous year.

Anderson Strathern said its organic growth during the last 12 months had been underpinned by investment in its business support areas and the appointment of key hires, such as PwC director Susanne Godfrey, who joined as finance director in November 2017.

It also cited client wins, panel appointments and increased activity across its private client, commercial and public sector practice groups as drivers of overall growth.

Anderson Strathern chair Bruce Farquhar said: “Our record results for 2018 show that our growth strategy is working well and that Anderson Strathern is going from strength to strength.

“Our strategic focus on appointing key people both in the legal and business functions to help us with that growth will continue.

“All the indictors are that we will also have a strong 2019 with our confident proposition as a leading independent Scottish law firm with expert lawyers operating across the private client, commercial and public sectors.”

The firm was appointed by Crown Estate Scotland as principal provider of legal services and its appointment by APUC (Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges) saw Anderson Strathern become the only Scottish legal firm ranked in all lots of the APUC and Scottish Government legal services frameworks.

It is thought to have been the first Scottish legal firm to launch a dedicated Brexit unit, and has experienced increased activity around Brexit planning in the current quarter as the UK’s departure from the EU draws closer.

Managing partner Murray McCall attributed the performance to a clear focus on business operations and productivity gains through smarter working across the firm.

McCall said: “The year was one of good housekeeping and gains, achieved through teams working smarter across the firm and followed significant investment in our people and technology in 2017.

“An even sharper approach to our internal mechanics, alongside an absolute focus on listening to our clients, is paying dividends and is reflected in our record numbers this year.”

He added that the firm must continue to invest in its staff to achieve its aim of becoming the employer of choice in the Scottish legal sector.

He said: “We believe in investing in our people, they are our best assets and we are continually striving to create an even better working environment where people feel valued. In turn, our team go out and provide the highest standards of client service and we’re extremely proud of the culture that has evolved from this process.”

The company’s wealth management arm, Anderson Strathern Asset Management, which is led by former Aberdeen Asset Management head of global distribution John Brett, grew its team during the year and now has £270m worth of assets under management.