Pictured above: Nick Abell

A leading Midland law firm is bucking the national trend by enjoying continued growth in its turnover - as well as its trophy cabinet.

Leamington-based lawyers Wright Hassall experienced a sixth successive year of increased turnover following 12 months filled with accolades and honours.

The 200-strong firm saw an annual 9.4 per cent rise in turnover to £13.01m per annum - compared to £10.2m in 2007 - with an overall rise of 28 per cent since the start of the recession.

This caps a particularly successful period during which time the company was honoured by bodies including the Credit Today Awards, the 2010 Business Awards and the Coventry and Warwickshire FirstPro awards.

Wright Hassall's reputation within the industry also grew as it broke into the prestigious top 150 UK lawyer list - at 144 - and Tier One for a number of sectors by the two leading legal directories.

All of these achievements come against a backdrop of a third year of negative or stagnant growth for a number of firms in London and elsewhere in the country.

Nick Abell, senior partner at Wright Hassall, believes the secret behind his firm's success is simple, if not common.

He said: "We have experienced pretty consistent levels of growth throughout the recession which is quite rare within the legal industry.

"I think the fact that we have a very broad client base across the commercial sector has helped us because some have thrived in this financial climate whereas others have been hit.

"We cover a broad spectrum and that has paid dividends. Areas such as litigation, tax, outsourcing and debt might not sound very glamorous but they are areas that continue to produce during a recession.

"However the most important aspect of this is that, put simply, we are good at what we do and we have a very high degree of expertise. 

"We offer a cost effective alternative to City firms at a time when people are increasingly anxious about what they are spending and ultimately I think if you offer better value for money, you are going to get better opportunities."

It is the performance of Wright Hassall's experts that has seen it rewarded with a number of honours.

And Nick, a recipient of one such award himself - Legal Professional of the Year at Coventry & Warwickshire FirstPro Awards - believes this is down to the firm's ability to work as a team.

"It is nice to be recognised by other people within the industry," added Nick, who became senior partner in 2009.

"That particular award was reflective of the performance of the whole business and I know it is a cliché but it really is about the team around you, you can't achieve anything without them.

"Hopefully we can carry all this success over to next year and attain a similar percentage increase that can be shared with all the people here."

For more information about Wright Hassall, please visit their website here: www.wrighthassall.co.uk