On 12 March, the Law Society of England and Wales visited Liverpool to host Shaping the Future – Legal Services and Regional Growth in Liverpool, an event generously supported by Weightmans.
Designed to bring together senior figures from across the Liverpool City Region’s legal community, the session explored how professional legal services can drive innovation, skills development, and economic growth both locally and nationally. Attendees represented a broad cross‑section of firms, reflecting the diversity and depth of the region’s legal sector.
A Data‑Driven Picture of the Region
The discussion was chaired by Mark Evans, President of the Law Society of England and Wales, who opened with a detailed overview of the sector’s current landscape. The Liverpool City Region is home to 187 registered law firms, collectively generating around £700 million in annual revenue.
A closer look at the figures reveals striking patterns:
- 1% of firms account for roughly £250 million of total revenue.
- A further 3% of firms, each turning over between £10m and £100m, generate an additional £230 million.
- 36% of firms fall within the £1m–£36m turnover bracket, contributing £180 million collectively.
- The majority—56% of firms—generate between £100k and £1m annually.
- The remaining 7% operate below the £100k threshold.
Firm size, measured by partner numbers, shows a similar distribution. Only 1.6% of firms qualify as large (26+ partners), while 4.3% sit in the medium bracket (5–25 partners). The overwhelming majority are small practices with up to five partners, underscoring the region’s strong foundation of independent and boutique firms.
The Wider Professional Services Landscape
Graham Bond, Chair of the Liverpool Professional and Business Services (PBS) Hub, followed with a broader perspective on the sector’s economic significance. The PBS industry comprises around 12,000 businesses employing approximately 96,000 people across the region.
While the sector has substantial growth potential in its own right, Graham emphasised its role as a cross‑sector catalyst—providing the specialist expertise that enables other industries to scale. He highlighted the importance of understanding both vertical growth (the infrastructure, technology, skills, and finance required for firms to expand) and horizontal growth (the widening of client bases and markets). The PBS Growth Hub aims to support businesses across both dimensions.
Looking Ahead: Liverpool and the Fourth Industrial Revolution
The final speaker, David Meyerowitz, Chair of the Liverpool Business and Enterprise Board, offered a wide‑ranging reflection on the region’s economic journey. Liverpool played a defining role in the first and second industrial revolutions—through trade, transport, and telecommunications—but had a more limited presence in the third.
As the world enters the fourth industrial revolution, shaped by AI, data analytics, and advanced digital technologies, David argued that the Liverpool City Region has a renewed opportunity to lead. Professional services—and legal services in particular—will be central to enabling growth in key sectors such as automotive, aerospace, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and maritime.
His message was clear: innovation will determine which firms thrive. Those that embrace new technologies, new ways of working, and new models of service delivery will be best placed to support the region’s next chapter of economic success.
James Mannouch – Immediate Past President