TBD Marketing launches new headcount service

18 Sept 2025News

TBD Marketing has introduced a monthly headcount tracking service for the UK's Top 250 law firms

In a move to enhance transparency within the legal sector, TBD Marketing has launched its new monthly service, The TBD 250, designed to track headcount among the UK’s Top 250 law firms. This innovative service will provide subscribers with a monthly snapshot of the recruitment, retention, and growth trends shaping the UK legal market, delivered directly to their inboxes at no cost.

Traditionally, headcount data across major law firms has been disjointed and often challenging to compare. The introduction of TBD’s data dashboard aims to consolidate this information into a single, accessible platform. Legal professionals, journalists, analysts, and recruiters will find value in a reliable source of insight that includes not just current data but also historical figures, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of market evolution over time.

Recent statistics highlight that 50 firms now boast over 1,000 lawyers, with the top 16 firms accounting for half of the total headcount. Remarkably, the leading trio comprising DLA Piper, CMS, and A&O Shearman collectively employs more lawyers than the 115 firms ranked from 85 to 200 combined.

Simon Marshall, founder of TBD Marketing, conveyed the significance of this new initiative, stating “Law is a people business. The number of lawyers in a firm is one of the clearest indicators of its scale, ambitions, and pressures. By launching this service, we’re giving the market a free and regular source of insight into how firms are moving – whether that’s rapid growth, consolidation, or periods of stability. For firms themselves, it provides a benchmark. For commentators, it offers context. For recruiters, it highlights where the market is heating up. It’s an essential resource for anyone following the legal sector.”

Subscribers to the TBD 250 will benefit from a range of offerings, including a free monthly email containing the latest headcount data for the UK’s top firms. Paid subscribers will also gain access to historical data for deeper analysis and insight into shifts that could indicate recruitment initiatives, mergers, or growth strategies within the sector.

Recent findings from TBD revealed that the UK’s top law firms have expanded their teams by an average of 32.53% over the past five years, emphasising the dynamic nature of the industry. To ensure the ongoing accessibility and development of this valuable service, TBD Marketing is also seeking potential sponsors.

Those interested in subscribing to the UK Top 250 Headcount Service can visit tbdmarketing.co.uk/top-250 for more information.

Legal News desk contact: editorial@solicitorsjournal.com|

Those interested in subscribing to the UK Top 250 Headcount Service can visit tbdmarketing.co.uk/top-250 for more information.

Employment tribunal cases rising sharply

Recent Ministry of Justice figures reveal a significant increase in open Employment Tribunal cases and challenges faced by employers

SRA updates guidance for litigation supervision

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has enhanced its supervision guidelines to clarify litigation conduct after recent court rulings

Millions of fathers lack parental responsibility

Many fathers may be surprised to learn about their parental responsibility rights and how to secure them

Re Poundstretcher: cross-class cramdown survives even when six landlord classes say no

The Chancery Division sanctions Poundstretcher's restructuring plan despite six dissenting landlord classes, applying the Adler and Petrofac framework.

Ponsford v Sali: a property partnership's messy divorce shows why documentation wins partnership disputes

The Chancery Division takes a pragmatic, evidence based approach to untangling a property partnership built on undocumented cash dealings.

North Somerset District Council v Secretary of State: failing the flood sequential test is not the end of the story

The Planning Court confirms that a failed flood risk sequential test still gets weighed in the planning balance, not treated as an automatic refusal.

Thomas Armstrong (Aggregates) v Housing Secretary: when landfill buries a quarry's right to be reviewed

The Planning Court applies Pilkington and Hillside to find a 1954 quarry permission can no longer be revived under the ROMP regime.

Clerkenwell Lifestyle v HG Construction: be careful what you call "agreed" in extension of time correspondence

The TCC enforces a £955,943 adjudication award after rejecting a contractor's late attempt to recast email exchanges as a binding settlement.

Ward v Donnellan: when both sides lie, "no order for costs" is not a free pass

The Court of Appeal overturns a no order for costs ruling, finding a judge let a dishonest claimant off too lightly.

London Borough of Camden v BW: when a single missing fact can decide a capacity case

The Court of Protection finds an expert's failure to explore one consequence, losing a placement, was enough to undermine his capacity assessment.

Griffiths v Essex County Council: EAT clarifies causation in discrimination remedy awards and sends pension loss back for recalculation

A single act of indirect disability discrimination can ground a full loss of earnings award, even where a later constructive dismissal claim was framed only...