Addleshaw Goddard's paralegal unit has nearly tripled in size over the last three years and is set to hit 170 staff by May this year.

The transactional services team (TST), which was founded in 2010 with five staff, currently has a headcount of 150 and is set to have 170 by May.

Addleshaws partner Mike Potter (pictured), head of the Manchester-headquartered TST, said: "In the last three years we have nearly tripled in size, and will be around 170 people by May."

Its recent growth has been triggered by major mandates coming into the firm, although Potter declined to say what these were. "We work across all the main practice areas, corporate, large scale due diligence, some big real estate matters and large litigation work," he said.

"Initially we were sitting there saying this could be up to 200 people, but that was quite aspirational, very much toe in the water," says Potter.

The TST has grown to over 10% of the firm's total headcount, which stood at around 1,240 in the 2014-15 financial year.

The unit's revenue has also grown. According to Addleshaws the unit's revenue has grown by 49% in the past year, although the firm declined to confirm a revenue figure for 2014-15.

Potter also declined to comment on how profitable the TST is. He said: "We do a lot in conjunction with other practice groups - it's about the efficiency and profitability impact on the firm rather than just TST."

The firm previously had a target of driving at least 10% of the firm's work through the TST by 2015, but has now dropped all targets for other parts of the firm to use the TST.

"We don't have fixed percentage targets because whenever we have tried to do that before it didn't drive a positive partnership," says Potter.

Potter said the increase in headcount was to meet demand from clients for the TST's services and had been achieved both through recruitment and by efforts to minimise staff turnover.

Kerry Westland (pictured right), a senior manager in the TST, said: "The paralegals that come to work with us are looking for training contracts so don't want to be with us that long. We have encouraged them to stay with us longer, the longer they stay the more their expertise grows so the amount of work they can do grows."

Westland said that the firm had created a career structure, with roles such as senior paralegal and team leader available to staff.

The firm also recruits from within the paralegal pool. According to Potter, 25 paralegals from the TST have gone on to training contracts at the firm over the past five years.

Addleshaw Goddard's paralegal unit has nearly tripled in size over the last three years and is set to hit 170 staff by May this year.

The transactional services team (TST), which was founded in 2010 with five staff, currently has a headcount of 150 and is set to have 170 by May.

Addleshaws partner Mike Potter (pictured), head of the Manchester-headquartered TST, said: "In the last three years we have nearly tripled in size, and will be around 170 people by May."

Its recent growth has been triggered by major mandates coming into the firm, although Potter declined to say what these were. "We work across all the main practice areas, corporate, large scale due diligence, some big real estate matters and large litigation work," he said.

"Initially we were sitting there saying this could be up to 200 people, but that was quite aspirational, very much toe in the water," says Potter.

The TST has grown to over 10% of the firm's total headcount, which stood at around 1,240 in the 2014-15 financial year.

The unit's revenue has also grown. According to Addleshaws the unit's revenue has grown by 49% in the past year, although the firm declined to confirm a revenue figure for 2014-15.

Potter also declined to comment on how profitable the TST is. He said: "We do a lot in conjunction with other practice groups - it's about the efficiency and profitability impact on the firm rather than just TST."

The firm previously had a target of driving at least 10% of the firm's work through the TST by 2015, but has now dropped all targets for other parts of the firm to use the TST.

"We don't have fixed percentage targets because whenever we have tried to do that before it didn't drive a positive partnership," says Potter.

Potter said the increase in headcount was to meet demand from clients for the TST's services and had been achieved both through recruitment and by efforts to minimise staff turnover.

Kerry Westland (pictured right), a senior manager in the TST, said: "The paralegals that come to work with us are looking for training contracts so don't want to be with us that long. We have encouraged them to stay with us longer, the longer they stay the more their expertise grows so the amount of work they can do grows."

Westland said that the firm had created a career structure, with roles such as senior paralegal and team leader available to staff.

The firm also recruits from within the paralegal pool. According to Potter, 25 paralegals from the TST have gone on to training contracts at the firm over the past five years.