Keystone Law has been crowned Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2020.
It is the first time in the awards’ 26-year history that the top prize has been handed to a non-traditional law firm, having previously been won by some of the UK’s biggest firms including Clifford Chance, Pinsent Masons and Mishcon de Reya.
Keystone was highlighted as this year’s big winner for being a pioneer in the legal sector, which since its launch in 2002 has been on an upward growth trajectory, attracting heavyweight lawyers from traditional law firms, all the while providing complete autonomy and freedom. The judges commented that during the coronavirus pandemic “Keystone’s model has been vindicated in spades” and thanks to its innovative use of technology and modern working practices “the firm is lightyears ahead” in enabling lawyers to work remotely and provide high-quality service to clients.
The firm was also praised for its achievements over the last 12 months, which included launching operations in the Middle East, continuing its strong recruitment of high calibre lawyers from top UK law firms and achieving solid financial results, growing its revenue to £49.6 million in 2019.
The accolade follows a rigorous judging process, which included analysing The Lawyer’s proprietary data and market insight alongside input from a judging panel of industry experts.
James Knight, CEO and founder of Keystone Law, said:
“It is a huge honour to win this coveted award. When we founded the firm, we knew we wanted to do things differently and completely rethink the law firm model. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the team at Keystone we were able to achieve that aim and we continue to push the boundaries to provide a first-rate alternative to traditional firms. To win this award within 20 years of inception is an outstanding achievement and I would like to thank everyone who has supported our journey from start-up to tech-enabled Top 100 law firm, particularly our clients and the excellent lawyers who took the jump into new law.”
The Lawyer Awards, celebrated virtually this year, showcase stand-out teams and transactions across the legal profession and are widely recognised as the industry-leading awards.