Pinsent Masons
A guide to the law firm Pinsent Masons: what it’s best known for, recent work highlights, what it pays, and its revenue and profitability.
Last updated:
December 10, 2024
A guide to the law firm Pinsent Masons: what it’s best known for, recent work highlights, what it pays, and its revenue and profitability.
Pinsent Masons is an international law firm headquartered in the UK.
(The firm actually describes itself as 'multinational' which we think is an attempt to highlight its global reach, but we'll stick with international for consistency. Many 'international' law firms are strategically focused on expanding their presence and reputation worldwide, aiming to be recognised as truly 'global' players...)
The firm has roots dating all the way back to the 18th century, originating from a small law practice in Birmingham. It officially became known as Pinsent Masons in 2004, following the merger of UK firms Pinsent Curtis (itself the product of a former merger) and Masons.
At the time, Pinsent Curtis was one of the UK’s leading national law firms, ranking eighth in the top ten of legal advisers to UK-listed companies.
The merger was a strategic move that combined Pinsent Curtis’ strength in corporate law with Masons' expertise in construction law. Masons was the pre-eminent construction firm in the UK at the time (and Pinsents remains a leader in the field to this day).
The newly formed Pinsent Masons was predominantly a national firm with offices in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh, among others. That soon changed as the firm pursued a more internationally-focused strategy and opened offices in several key jurisdictions through the late 2000s and into the 2010s, including Beijing, Singapore, Brussels and Frankfurt.
Today, Pinsent Masons stands as one of the largest law firms in the UK, employing over 1,500 lawyers, including 430+ partners, in 27 offices across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.
Pinsent Masons has a strong international reputation for its expertise in the construction, real estate, technology, and energy sectors. As one of the UK’s leading national firms (with eight offices in the UK alone), it is highly regarded for its advice to UK company clients across a broad range of practice areas.
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Recent deal and industry highlights for Pinsent Masons include:
Heineken Client Win: In October 2024, Pinsent Masons replaced DLA Piper as Heineken’s go-to legal adviser in the UK. The brewing giant picked Pinsents as its principal legal adviser in the UK after a competitive tender process.
Ithaca Energy’s Listing on the London Stock Exchange: Pinsent Masons played a leading role in the largest UK IPO of 2022, leading Ithaca Energy's £2.5 billion listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. The transaction was led by the firm's Glasgow-based Global Head of Oil and Gas, Rosalie Chadwick.
Natwest Group on landmark PPI Decision: Advised Natwest Group on its successful appeal at the Court of Appeal in a case concerning the legal time limit for lodging mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI) claims against credit card providers. Pinsents won Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team of the Year at the British Legal Awards 2022 for its work on the case.
Deployment of Peppermint’s Case Management Technology: Pinsent Masons has implemented Peppermint’s Case Management solution within its ‘big ticket’ and mass litigation team, aiming for further adoption across other practices. The move is part of the firm's strategy to use automation, advanced analytics, and live dashboard reporting to improve management of large and complex legal matters.
Vario Professional Services Offering: Pinsent Masons has a flexible resourcing division called ‘Vario’. The arm provides a range of professional services to clients, including fixed-term contract lawyers for one-off projects, legal project management and managed legal services.
Pinsent Masons is a full service corporate law firm specialising in a broad range of practice areas. Its clients include companies, financial institutions and governments. It’s particularly known for its strengths in the following areas:
Construction: Pinsent Masons has a leading construction practice (inherited from its merger with Masons back in 20024), known for its work on domestic and international projects. It has a Band 1 ranking by Chambers for ‘Construction: Contentious’, and a Band 2 ranking for ‘Construction: Non-contentious’.
Energy: The firm has a strong energy department. It’s especially known for its renewables and alternative energy practice, advising developers, utilities, IPPs, investors, funders and other stakeholders on onshore and offshore wind, solar, biomass, hydro, wave and tidal projects globally. Its renewables practice has a Band 1 ranking by Chambers.
Intellectual Property and Technology: The firm is known for its advice on IP, patents, IT contracts, data protection, and cybersecurity, serving clients ranging from startups to established technology companies. It has a Band 3 ranking by Chambers for ‘Intellectual Property’.
Real Estate and Planning: The firm has a highly-regarded real estate practice that covers investment, development, leasing, financing, and planning. Its planning department has a Band 1 ranking by Chambers.
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.
Pinsent Masons can be described as a 'mid-market' firm with a large International presence. Its main competitors include the likes of Eversheds Sutherland, DLA Piper and Addleshaw Goddard.
Here’s what Pinsent Masons pays its London trainees and newly qualified (NQ) lawyers:
Trainee First Year: £49,500
Trainee Second Year: £54,000
Newly Qualified (NQ): £97,000
We have a list of salaries paid by all of the UK’s top law firms here.
Pinsent Masons is the 14th biggest law firm in the UK by revenue. In 2023, its revenue was £605.9 million.
In 2023, its profit per equity partner (PEP) was £797,000.
In 2023, Pinsent Masons’ average profit per equity partner (PEP) was £797,000.
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.
Pinsent Masons takes on around 68 trainees each year in the UK.
Trainees complete four seats in different departments, each lasting six months.
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