Lawfront announces that Trethowans has joined the fast-growing legal services group, in what is Lawfront’s largest deal to date. This is Lawfront’s sixth large regional firm acquisition and the thirteenth acquisition in total, taking group fee income to over £130m, well on the way to becoming a Top 10 regional legal services business.
Trethowans is a leading firm in the South and South West, based in Southampton, Salisbury, Winchester, Bournemouth and Poole. A fast-growing, entrepreneurial firm, with high-quality services and a strong dedication to its people and clients.
Lawfront’s strategy is to partner with leading regional law firms that have a strong brand for client service, a dedication to their people, and management teams that have a history of delivering profitable growth. Trethowans fits that partner profile perfectly. Partner firms fulfil their growth ambitions through additional local “merge-in” acquisitions and by leveraging Lawfront’s investment and expertise in people, IT, AI, marketing and business development, to accelerate organic growth.
A firm that can trace its history back more than 150 years, Trethowans provides no-nonsense, empathetic legal advice to its many consumer and corporate clients, including household names. The firm has a down-to-earth culture where all colleagues have a part to play, and all opinions are valued. Trethowans also plays a very active part in local communities, supporting several charities and organisations in the arts and sport.
Organic growth has been impressive over recent years, and the firm is approaching £30m revenue. Highly ranked by The Legal 500 and Chambers and recognised by the prestigious ‘The Times Best Law Firms 2025’ list.
This partnership with Lawfront will support Trethowans to accelerate its ambitious growth plans, broaden and enhance its services to clients and offer further development to its people.
Neil Lloyd, Lawfront CEO, said:
“I am delighted to welcome another strategic partner to our rapidly growing group. Trethowans has such a strong brand and reputation in its region, and we are impressed with their own rapid growth and entrepreneurial, no-nonsense approach to legal services.
“Lawfront are increasingly seen as the leading consolidator in the regional full service legal market: backing firms’ management teams, preserving their client facing brands, enhancing the prospects of their people and bringing to bear considerable experience in marketing, IT, finance, people and compliance. The high-quality firms, such as Trethowans, that have partnered with Lawfront are testament to our leading position. We provide a very credible alternative to the equity partnership model of ownership, addressing concerns of succession, legacy and the scale of investment required to remain competitive. I really look forward to working with Mike Watson and his team to continue and accelerate Trethowans’s growth.”
Mike Watson, Trethowans’ Managing Partner, commented:
“Trethowans is a forward-thinking law firm, and our partnership with Lawfront presents an excellent opportunity to under-pin and accelerate our growth following a year in which turnover grew by more than 20%.
“Our excellent reputation in delivering high-quality, client centric, services and the strength of our commitment to our people and communities in which we work provide a solid foundation for continued success.
“With Lawfront’s support, we look forward to expanding the Trethowans brand within our existing office locations and beyond. Being part of a larger group while preserving our brand identity and culture is a distinctive feature of Lawfront that made this partnership very compelling.”
Carl Harring, CEO at Blixt, concluded:
“More great news for Lawfront’s exciting growth trajectory. Blixt supports ambitious businesses, like Lawfront, with the resources and strategic insight they need to grow and thrive. Trethowans is a great addition for them bringing a leading presence in a new region and great leadership with the drive and ambition to accelerate growth whilst maintaining a genuine focus on their people, clients and communities.
“It was only in the first quarter of the year that we celebrated passing the £100m revenue milestone but now we are realistically looking at exceeding £150m over the next 12 months.”
