Ward Hadaway 'way ahead' on growth targets and prepares for more mergers
Posted on 20 April 2026
{image: Steven Petrie, managing partner Ward Hadaway}
The managing partner of law firm Ward Hadaway has confirmed the company is on track to reach ambitious growth targets, saying more mergers are on the cards for the growing law firm.
Steven Petrie took on the top job two years ago and immediately set out plans to accelerate growth and boost turnover by more than 50% within five years. He also wanted to double turnover in 10 years, reaching £100m in turnover by 2034.
Financial results for its 2025 year show growth is consistent, with turnover increasing from £48.1m to £53.6m as the firm aims for its long-term growth targets while remaining independent. The Newcastle law firm now has around 600 people, with additional offices in Teesside, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham, having opened in the Midlands in June 2025 and merged with Teesdale Business Park-based Endeavour Partnership the following month.
Mr Petrie said the company’s growth plan is currently tracking ahead of pace, and added that further mergers will likely be seen at Ward Hadaway, on the back of the successful integration with Endeavour Partnership.
Mr Petrie said: “The plan is going really well. We were previously growing at about 6% to 7%, but then we put out what some people call an ambitious vision and in the first year we achieved 11.6% growth. And with a month to go of this financial year, the second year, we’re running at 14% currently. So we’re way ahead of where we ought to be.
“I’m not going to jump too far ahead with that because it can change quite quickly, but now we’re doing really well.
“We opened a new office last year in Birmingham and we’ve already run out of space, so we’ve had to take another floor there. We’re currently at 20 there but now have space for 54.
“What we’ve been really good at is not putting all of our eggs in one basket. If there is a property crash it’s not the end of world because we’ve got a busy employment team or a busy litigation team. We’ve always had a really good spread. As a result, we are certainly looking at key areas.
“It would be fair to see there are some areas which are busier than others and we’re obviously expanding into those areas. But it’s not one size fits all because each regional office is at a different point of its trajectory.”
Mr Petrie said Ward Hadaway is frequently approached by smaller operations keen to become part of the company. However, he said the business is not interested in expansion for growth’s sake, or to simply expand its geographical footprint, and that the firm would only consider joining forces with other companies if they could combine as a ‘good fit’.
He confirmed: “We are talking to various firms, but as you can imagine because we’ve put our growth vision ‘out there’, we’re approached a lot by firms.
“We’re not interested in acquisitions. We’re not looking at acquiring firms. What we are looking to do is add to what we describe as our excellent people culture at Ward Hadaway. We’re looking for like-minded firms who share the same values and who are aligned with values and behaviours as we are.
