Leading Scottish law firm Blackadders LLP has boosted turnover and profits significantly after a period of consistent growth.
The firm hit the milestone target of £20 million for the combined income of the Blackadders law firm and Blackadders Wealth Management LLP with profits for the group rising 46% to £6.76 million.
The stellar performance comes on the back of several years of investment, innovation and restructuring at the firm. The sustained growth across Blackadders’ core services, particularly Private Client, coupled with increases in the Business Services Group activity and the rollout of the firm’s Client Charter and Service Pledge have all improved overall performance.
Ryan McKay, Joint Managing Partner, said: “This has been an excellent performance and comes after a period of significant investment and strategic change. This is Blackadders doubling down on a strategy of ensuring clients are served well in the most efficient way possible and with the best advice.
“Every team has contributed to these results, but the underlying strength of our Private Client team and the innovation shown by our Business Services Group have proved to be the engine from which our growth has come.
“We are nearing the end of our current five-year strategy and looking forward to setting new targets for growth and investment for the coming years. We want to achieve our ambition of being recognised alongside Scotland’s top five firms in terms of our quality of advice and service as well as attracting and retaining the most talented lawyers in the country. But our ambition does not stop there and we are already working on the next phase of Blackadders’ journey.”
Operational consistency was a feature of activity for the period following major strategic changes in previous years. The firm concentrated on consolidating workflows, strengthening financial controls and enhancing the economics of the business.
The year represented the penultimate stage of Blackadders’ ambitious 5 by 25 strategy, which set out five core objectives: achieving £25 million turnover; reaching a 35% margin; being recognised as a Destination Lawyer; becoming an Employer of Choice; and being regarded alongside the top five Scottish law firms in terms of service delivery and quality of advice.
From left, Head of Private Client Laura McDowall, Head of Business Services Group Kirk Dailly and Joint Managing Partners Emma Gray and Ryan McKay. Credit: Andrew Cawley.
The firm’s positive progress has been mirrored in external recognition with awards success across the year and a debut entry in The Times Best Law Firm Special Report, one of only 20 firms in Scotland.
The combined turnover of the law firm and wealth management business grew from £16.9 million in 2023/24 to £20.2 million in 2024/25, a rise of 19%. Profits for the year before members’ remuneration and profit shares was £6.76 million up from £4.61 million which was a rise of 46%.
The Business Services Group has continued its growth path through focused sector development. The team is a leader the Scottish M&A market and has maintained its reputation as Scotland’s leading advisers in employee ownership transactions. The team has maintained its strong performance in the healthcare sector and in working with high-growth entrepreneurial clients.
The Corporate and Commercial team also further enhanced its standing as the country’s leading video games sector specialists, having been involved in several high-profile publishing and licensing deals. In 2025, they picked up the Digital & Intellectual Property Team of the Year Awards at the prestigious The Herald Law Awards.
Blackadders’ Private Client team continued to perform strongly, benefiting both from increased demand and more efficient internal processes developed over recent years. Cross referrals and co-ordination between Private Client, Residential Property and Dispute Resolution improved client service and contributed to an uplift in fee income.
The firm has built one of the strongest executry and private wealth practices in Scotland, with more than 700 new wills prepared, including more than 400 for new clients. The Private Client team now acts for around 650 private and charitable trusts with more than £250 million in assets under trust management.
The Rural Land and Business team has grown in both fee earners and turnover year-on-year and has received recognition for the quality of its advice in agricultural tenancies and clean-energy matters.
The Commercial Real Estate team has had another strong performance, particularly in healthcare, house building, retail & Leisure, third sector and energy.
A major achievement during the period was the continued embedding of the Blackadders’ Client Charter and Service Pledge which underpin the firm’s culture and client service. These frameworks have provided a clear articulation of the firm’s values of People, Purpose, Pledge, and have contributed directly to improved service and client satisfaction.
Mr McKay added: “The team has risen to the challenges we set in our strategy and everyone continues to embrace the ethos of striving to deliver the best service we possibly can. That, combined with using the best technology and integrating innovation into our day-to-day processes, means we have been able to enjoy this growth and set ourselves up well for the future.
“The whole team has performed exceptionally well and the board thanks them all for their hard work and contribution to our success.”