DWF

Chairman: Sir Nigel Knowles
Managing Partner and DWF Group CEO: Andrew Leaitherland
Number of partners: c.317
Number of qualified lawyers: c.1020

Firm Overview:
DWF is the largest listed legal business in the world, with an award-winning reputation for client service excellence, effective operational management and innovation. The company became the first main market premium listed legal business on the London Stock Exchange in March 2019. DWF has been named by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s most innovative legal businesses and has been independently recognised for its quality of legal advice, service delivery and responsiveness. DWF’s stated purpose is to transform legal services through its people for its clients using its three principal strategic objectives: understanding our clients, engaging our people and doing things differently. DWF aims to deliver its strategy by building long-term relationships with its clients, recruiting talented individuals to maintain a high service level culture and continually innovating in its provision of complex legal services, managed and connected services to address client needs and increase its market share. The business has core strengths in corporate banking, insurance and litigation and in-depth expertise in several chosen sectors, including public sector; energy and industrials; real estate; financial services; retail, food and hospitality; technology and transport. In addition to its legal services, DWF provides a range of professional, business or consulting services, a number of which include or are enabled by technology products and solutions to its clients through its Connected Services division. This offering is complementary to the traditional legal services offered by DWF. DWF employs over 3,200 people across 27 key locations and has steadily grown its international presence in response to client demand. In May 2019 it expanded its international footprint by opening a new office in Warsaw, Poland as part of its strategic growth plans. DWF was the first UK legal business to achieve the ‘Disability Confident’ accreditation, which highlights the firm as an inclusive recruiter of disabled talent and is a Top 30 Employer for Working Families. The business also has its own charitable enterprise, the DWF Foundation, a registered charity aimed at providing funds and support to local charities and programmes focused on education, employability, health and wellbeing and homelessness.