Osborne Clarke
A guide to the law firm Osborne Clarke: what it’s best known for, recent work highlights, what it pays, and its revenue and profitability.
Last updated:
January 2, 2025
A guide to the law firm Osborne Clarke: what it’s best known for, recent work highlights, what it pays, and its revenue and profitability.
Osborne Clarke is a large international law firm headquartered in London but with its roots in Bristol in the UK.
Founded all the way back in 1748, today the firm has more than 1,600 lawyers, including around 340 partners, operating in 26 cities across the world, including London, New York, Singapore, Paris and Shanghai.
Started by namesake lawyer Jeremiah Osborne, the firm became well known in the 19th century for its work for the Great Western Railway Company and legendary British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel who designed and built the Great Western Main Line connecting Bristol to London Paddington.
Fast forward to the 20th century and the modern iteration of the firm came about from the 1969 merger of two of Bristol's oldest law practices: Osborne Ward and Clarke Gwynn & Press.
The combination set the stage for the firm’s next phase of growth around the turn of the millennium with a focus on transforming Osborne Clarke from a regional player to a more prestigious London-centred firm with international ambitions.
In 2000, Osborne Clarke opened its first US office in Palo Alto in a move that was ahead of its time. It was one of the first UK firms to open in Silicon Valley.
More international expansion followed, including openings in Cologne, a 2012 merger with two European firms to give Osborne Clarke a significant foothold in Spain and Italy, and a host of new offices in the 2010s, including New York and Singapore.
Back home, Osborne Clarke took a decision to position itself as first and foremost a London firm by moving its HQ to London from Bristol in 2013.
The repositioning seems to have paid off for Osborne Clarke. Today, the firm is an established top 25 player in the UK with a leading reputation in several sectors and an increasingly strong brand.
While full service, Osborne Clarke is probably best known for its strengths in technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), real estate, and mid-market corporate and finance work.
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Recent deal and industry highlights for Osborne Clarke include:
Revolut De-Banking Case: In 2024, Osborne Clarke acted for Revolut in successfully obtaining strike out in a claim brought against it by UK-based Kazakhstani businessman Ildar Uzbekov in the High Court. Revolut closed Uzbekov's account in April 2020 following the discovery of adverse media coverage relating to him, having formed the view that he might be involved in money laundering.
BioNTech $549 million Acquisition of InstaDeep: Osborne Clarke advised German biotech company BioNTech on its $549 million acquisition of pioneering AI-powered drug discovery and development company InstaDeep in 2023. Osborne Clarke was highly commended in the 'Life Sciences Team of the Year' category at the Legal Business Awards for its work on the transaction.
Siemens Mobility v HS2: In 2023, Osborne Clarke acted for Siemens Mobility in its High Court challenge regarding the award of a £2.7 billion contract for new HS2 trains. Siemens claimed that HS2 had failed to comply with its obligations under the specific tender rules.
The Times Best Law Firms 2024: Osborne Clarke was commended by ‘The Times Best Law Firms’ for its work in banking and finance, commercial dispute resolution, commercial property; company and commercial, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, tax, and technology, media and telecoms.
SLAPP Test Case: In December 2024, Osborne Clarke partner Ashley Hurst was found guilty of misconduct by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) and fined £50,000.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) brought the high profile case against Hurst over allegations he improperly tried to silence tax investigator (and former head of tax at Clifford Chance) Dan Neidle who was probing Osborne Clarke client and former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs.
The case was the SDT's first involving an alleged SLAPP (a strategic lawsuit against public participation), although the tribunal said that Hurst’s actions did not in fact amount to a SLAPP.
Osborne Clarke is a full service corporate law firm. Its clients include companies, financial institutions, and public bodies. It is best known for its expertise in the following areas:
Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT): Osborne Clarke has long-standing expertise in TMT, acting for leading players and disruptors in the sector. Clients include Microsoft, EE and Omnicom. The firm’s media and entertainment practice has a Band 1 ranking by Chambers.
Real Estate: Osborne Clarke has a full service commercial property practice, advising on investment transactions, complex development projects, property management, planning and disputes. It has a Band 1 ranking by Chambers for mid-market real estate work.
Capital Markets: Osborne Clarke has a highly regarded equity capital markets team, particularly known for its working for AIM-listed clients. It represents listed companies, nominated advisers and investment banks. It is ranked in Band 2 by Chambers for AIM-listed work.
We use Chambers rankings to demonstrate a firm's strengths. Chambers is the most highly-regarded provider of law firm rankings in the legal industry. Law firms are ranked in bands from 1 (highest) to 6 (lowest) across a range of practice areas.
It's important to note that being ranked in any band at all is still considered a significant achievement.
Osborne Clarke is a leading 'mid-market' player. Its main competitors include the likes of Taylor Wessing, Fieldfisher and Bird & Bird.
Here’s what Osborne Clarke pays its London trainees and newly qualified (NQ) lawyers:
Trainee First Year: £54,500
Trainee Second Year: £56,000
Newly Qualified (NQ): £94,000
We have a list of salaries paid by all of the UK’s top law firms here.
Osborne Clarke is the 22nd biggest law firm in the UK by revenue. In 2023, its revenue was £377 million.*
In 2023, its profit per equity partner (PEP) was £687,000.**
*Osborne Clarke reports its group-wide revenue in EUR. The GBP figure has been converted from the then current exchange rate.
**PEP is for Osborne Clarke’s UK business only.
In 2023, Osborne Clarke’s average profit per equity partner (PEP) in the UK was £687,000.
This is the total amount of profit available for distribution among equity partners, divided by the number of equity partners at the firm.
This represents the average amount that equity partners are entitled to. Some will receive significantly more, some less. It depends on the firm’s profit-sharing formula and each partner’s seniority.
Osborne Clarke takes on 30 trainees each year: 13 in London, 14 in Bristol and 3 in Reading.
Trainees complete four seats in different departments, each lasting six months.
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