Gateley has posted a 19% increase in revenue to £35.2m for the first half of 2016-17, with profit before tax up 44% on the same period last year.

Profit before tax for the six months to 31 October was £4.218m, up from the 2015 figure of £2.93m. This time last year, Gateley posted an 11% half-year revenue increase, with the firm's first full year as a public company seeing an overall 8% increase to £66m.

The firm floated on AIM in June 2015, becoming the first UK law firm to go public.

CEO Michael Ward said: "These are our third set of results since our initial public offering (IPO). We are delivering in accordance with the plans set out at IPO – this is confirmation we are on track."

Gateley has acquired two businesses since its IPO – tax advisory business Capitus, which it acquired in April for £2.72m, and property consultancy Hamer Associates, which it acquired in September in a £2.05m deal.

Ward said: "We would like to do more acquisitions – obviously that depends on seeing the right opportunities. We have manged two in the first 18 months and we are continuing to look for other businesses that can add value to our client proposition."

This June the firm opened a Reading office, which is currently home to 13 legal staff including five partners. Ward said the firm would look to double that number during the next 12 months.

Gateley recently confirmed that it is to split with its Scottish arm, HBJ Gateley, at the end of the current financial year. HBJ will merge with Addleshaw Goddard.

The Scottish business, which has offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, was not included in Gateley's 2015 float due to regulatory restrictions in Scotland that prevent law firms taking on outside capital.

Ward said: "We would like to replicate what we had with HBJ with another law firm," but added that it depends on what opportunities are available.

In October, Gateley partners made almost £6.4m from selling shares in the firm, with five partners making more than £300,000. The five, all members of the firm's strategic board, were CEO Ward (£365,079), COO Peter Davies (£333,000), joint managing partner Paul Hayward (£364,080), corporate restructuring partner Brendan McGeever (£355,200) and commercial property partner Callum Nuttall (£321,797).