North West law firm SAS Daniels LLP, whose Stockport office is in Greek Street, has announced record fee income after achieving its highest ever monthly billing of more than £600,000 in November.
The figure, which has beaten last year’s November income by almost £100,000, marks the third time in just nine months that SAS Daniels has smashed its previous record for fees billed with strong growth across all practice areas.
The performance of the firm, which now has 25 partners and 65 lawyers across four offices in Stockport, Macclesfield, Chester and Congleton, means it is now on track to post more than £6.5 million turnover in the year to April 2013 – more than a 10% increase on the £5.9 million turnover posted in April 2012.
Commenting on the news, Chief Executive of SAS Daniels, Nigel Haddon, said: “We have a strong growth plan which we hope will eventually lead us into the Top 100. It is a bold ambition and it’s certainly not going to happen overnight. There’s very little room for rapid and uncontrolled growth in the current market, and while there is definitely a place for acquisition and merger opportunities, steady and strong organic growth is an absolute must.
“This is the third time we have set a new record in billing this year and we are already 7.5 per cent up on turnover compared to the same period last year. Given we saw growth of 14.5 per cent last year, this is a clear sign that our strategy is working. We are steadily growing our client base across all practice areas and are continuing to win significant market share from both city centre and regional competitors.”
The firm has been quick to respond to changes in the legal sector by focusing on investment in accessible secondary centres rather than major cities like Manchester and Birmingham. Location and partner-led delivery is key to the model because it offers the quality of city centre firms with value for money, great service delivery and accessibility.
SAS Daniels formed in 2006 through the merger of SAS Lawyers and Daniels. Since April last year the firm has acquired Macclesfield firm Berry & Co and Heaton Moor-based TWP Solicitors.
The firm has also made a series of significant lateral hires including Chris MacCafferty who joined from Ralli Solicitors to lead the firm’s litigation team and Tom Cressey who joined the firm’s real estate team as a partner from Cobbetts.
Particular highlights for the year so far include the corporate team which is continuing to buck the downward trend on deals activity after completing 24 major transactions since May. The real estate and personal injury teams have also experienced high billing alongside commercial litigation which has grown income by more than 70 per cent since the start of 2012.