Harper James’ 25% revenue rise reflects increasing demand from growth-focused UK SMEs

Harper James, the national law firm purpose-built to enable entrepreneurial and growth-focused SMEs to succeed, has continued its own momentum, closing its most recent financial year with a 25% revenue increase to £15.2 million.

This strong organic performance builds on an average revenue growth of 31% over the past three years, keeping Harper James firmly on course to double its turnover and achieve its £30 million target by 2028. With SMEs employing 60% of the UK workforce and contributing more than half of total business turnover, there is a clear and growing demand for the kind of accessible, expert legal support that Harper James provides.

Harper James was recently ranked Band 1 in independent legal directory Chambers and Partners’ UK 2026 guide for SME-focused firms – its first year of entry. Chambers praised the firm for ‘opening up access to legal support for small to medium-sized businesses through flexible and subscription-based pricing.’

In September, Harper James secured investment from LDC, the leading private equity investor, which is part of Lloyds Banking Group – a significant milestone that will accelerate development of the firm’s proprietary technology, enable expansion of its specialist lawyer team, and add capacity to offer clients a wider range of services. LDC’s Chris Handy and Karen Mann have joined Harper James’ board as non-executive directors, with Steve Weller appointed as a non-executive chair.

Other key developments this year include an Innovate UK-funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Aston University, integrating AI-powered technology into Harper James’ legal services to enhance client experience and improve internal collaboration. Through the KTP, the firm’s technology team is creating an Intelligent Legal Services Platform, designed to modernise core processes, boost efficiency and improve service delivery. The firm is also developing a client portal to offer greater visibility and opportunities for collaboration to clients.

Harper James has supported more than 7,000 businesses at various stages of their growth journey and is now a team of over 150 people, having grown headcount by 50% over the last three years to meet client demand. Flexible working is at the heart of the firm’s culture – enabling senior lawyers to work remotely and in ways that suit their lives while offering aspiring junior lawyers a progressive, collaborative and supportive environment with quality work and a dynamic client base.

Founder and CEO, Toby Harper, says: “This year’s growth proves what’s possible when you combine an exceptional team with a clear purpose. We’ve always done things differently – challenging the traditional legal model to make expert advice genuinely accessible to growing businesses. That approach continues to strike a chord, perhaps even more so in a challenging economic climate.”