Shakespeare Martineau’s commercial services team celebrates strong growth

Full-service law firm Shakespeare Martineau is marking a period of significant growth within its newly rebranded commercial services team, which now includes the combined expertise of the firm’s commercial, intellectual property, and energy practices.

The team has reported consistent year-on-year progress, with revenues rising from £4.52 million in financial year 2023 to £5 million in 2024. The team is now on track to surpass £5.37 million by the end of financial year 2025 – marking a 19% uplift in just two years.

The success comes as the firm reflects on World Intellectual Property Day (26 April) – a global initiative that recognizes the role of IP in driving innovation and business success.

Selina Hinchliffe, head of the commercial services team, said: “The continued growth and success of our team reflect the increasing demand for expert legal advice across IP, energy, technology, and commercial sectors. As World Intellectual Property Day reminds us, intellectual property is fundamental for innovation, and we are proud to support our clients in protecting and maximizing the value of their IP.”

The team’s growth follows a strategic reorganization that merged the commercial, IP, and energy practices into one unified group. As part of this transformation, the team has refined its market approach by focusing on five specialist areas, each led by an experienced practitioner.

These include intellectual property, led by Nicholas Briggs; technology and IT, driven by Stewart Argo and Ed Wright; commercial contracts and advice, led by Carys Thompson; data protection and privacy, headed by Trevor Fenton; and energy, under the leadership of Andrew Whitehead. The energy team has further expanded its focus into sub-sectors, including renewables, heat, hydrogen, sustainable transport, innovation, and utilities.

The restructuring of the team has been supported by a series of proactive initiatives. These include the relaunch of its popular in-house counsel program, which includes four in-person events each year and a series of webinars; the introduction of a dedicated climate change desk to help clients respond to evolving regulations and demand; and a proposition that brings relevant specialists across the firm together to deliver what clients need to meet the ESG agenda. It has also introduced in-house co-counsel – a flexible, fixed-fee subscription giving in-house teams direct access to specialist legal support.

Hinchliffe added: “Our restructured team, combined with clear strategies and a focused market approach, enables us to deliver exceptional value to clients navigating an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment. By aligning our services into specialist areas, we’ve been able to provide more targeted, commercially relevant advice that speaks directly to the needs of each client.

“We’ve invested time in understanding emerging trends and challenges – whether that’s the rapid evolution of AI and digital markets, the ever-changing energy landscape, or the increasing importance of data privacy and ESG compliance. Our structure gives us the agility to respond quickly and effectively, while also giving clients access to deep expertise across each area.”

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