Record results as Scots legal firm Morton Fraser invests in new 'hub' and supports Ukrainian lawyers

Legal firm Morton Fraser has invested seven figures in a new Glasgow “hub” after posting record results and supporting two Ukrainian lawyers.

The firm, which employs some 260 people across its operations in Edinburgh and Glasgow, said it was paying its highest ever staff bonus pool and investing more than £1 million in new premises designed for “hybrid, collaborative working”.

It reported revenues of £23.9m for the year to April 2022, a 16 per cent increase on the year before.

The firm has grown its net profit by more than 40 per cent, allowing it to deliver a staff bonus pool in excess of £600,000, which is 50 per cent higher than the previous year and 30 per cent higher than 2019/20. Morton Fraser pays bonuses to all staff, not just fee-earners.

Morton Fraser, which employs some 260 people across its operations in Edinburgh and Glasgow, said it was investing more than £1 million in new premises designed for 'hybrid, collaborative working'. Picture: Paul Hampton

The practice’s new Glasgow hub aims to “break old stereotypes associated with working at law firms”, offering lots of collaborative co-working spaces, standing desks and informal booths.

Chief executive Chris Harte said: “The pandemic reset everybody’s view of work-life balance. We have responded to that by investing heavily in a place that aids collaboration and mental wellbeing while still providing the facilities needed for the rigours of legal work.

“People should enjoy coming to the office and we have worked hard to make it a place people want to, rather than have to, be. This is a great example of putting our people first, ensuring they have the flexibility and resources they need to flourish.”

The firm said the past 12 months had seen a “substantial” increase in its transactional services. Both its corporate and property teams saw growth of more than 30 per cent. The private client practice, meanwhile, has now grown by 50 per cent since 2018.

Harte added: “Most in the service sector will have experienced a post-Covid bounce back. What matters is how you respond to that improvement.

“For us, the main priority is our people, which is why we have modernised the way we work, so we can give people flexibility to make positive choices.”

The firm has also hired two Ukrainian lawyers through the Interlaw network, offering them both employment and training in Scotland.

“We take our social responsibilities very seriously and felt it was important to respond to the call for help when it came,” Harte said. “I know many Scottish firms have tried to support Ukrainian lawyers. It is heartening to see the sector come together to offer some hope to those in desperate circumstances.”

Several well-known Scottish law firms have released their annual accounts of late.

Earlier this week, it emerged that staff bonuses are being paid after legal heavyweight Burness Paull racked up higher income and profits.

Reporting results for the year ended 31 July, the firm said turnover had risen 9 per cent to £78.6m while overall profit increased 7 per cent to £35.7m. That has triggered an all-staff bonus that, in addition to performance-related bonuses, will see employees receive an additional payment worth the higher of 5 per cent of their annual salary or £2,500.