Move to expand Milton Keynes arm in bid to revive UK profits

SNR Denton is set to ramp up the use of its Milton Keynes office for lower-cost legal services as part of a major drive to boost profitability in the UK.

The firm currently has 12 partners, 41 lawyers and 10 other fee earners in Milton Keynes but hopes to grow total legal headcount in the base "by double digits" over the next 12 months.

Sainsbury's, Westfield and Virgin Active are among the key clients to have been served from Milton Keynes, particularly on real estate and employment matters, with the firm now hoping to expand the offering to a wider range of clients and practices to win business.

The initiative, led by UK managing partner Brandon Ransley (pictured, forms part of a strategy aimed at boosting ailing profits at the UK arm of SNR Denton, which fell by 36% to £232,000 during the last financial year. Fee income in Milton Keynes increased by 20% during 2010-11 and is currently around 40% up on revenues compared with this time last year.

Ransley said: "The general concept is to give the right service to clients at a price they are willing to pay while still providing top-quality advice. General counsel are often looking to reduce the number of firms on their panels and being able to offer these services out of Milton Keynes is a real advantage to us."

He added that there are no redundancies planned in London as a result of the growth, but declined to speculate on whether there would be in future.

The wider strategy for boosting London profitability also puts lateral hiring, aided by the firm's new merit-based pay system which came into effect for the current financial year, at the top of the agenda.

Ransley has also appointed a trio of senior partners – global corporate head Richard Macklin, TMT sector head Scott Singer and London co-head of corporate Jeremy Cohen – to spearhead an initiative to improve sales skills among all UK lawyers. Other efficiency measures include improving cash collection and billing times.

The plans come as partners wait to hear the outcome of a review of the UK business led by UK chief executive Matthew Jones that began in March. Internal discussions are expected to start later this month, with the review looking at which practice areas the UK arm should focus on going forward.

Ransley's lateral hiring plans see energy, banking and TMT all earmarked for growth in London. The firm is also set to add a London non-contentious restructuring partner on 10 October, with the hire of Will Gunston from Dickinson Dees.

In addition, the US arm of SNR Denton has confirmed that it will invest in parts of the UK practice, which it believes will drive business globally through US partner secondments. As part of this, insurance partner Dan Brown and hotels and leisure specialist partner Mark Daliere have relocated from the US to London to build their respective sector groups.