Clifford Chance posts record £1BN profit
Clifford Chance has reported record financial results for the fiscal year ended 30 April 2026, with profit exceeding £1 billion for the first time in the firm’s history. Revenue reached £2.6 billion, up 9% on the previous year, while profit rose 11% to £1.05 billion. Profit per equity partner (PEP) stood at £2.3 million, an increase of 9%.
Since the 2022/23 financial year, the firm has recorded cumulative growth of £638 million in revenue and £295 million in profit, including a 65% increase in US revenue over the same period. In euros, the latest figures translate to €3 billion in revenue, €1.2 billion in profit and a PEP of €2.7 million; in US dollars, the figures equate to $3.5 billion in revenue, $1.4 billion in profit and a PEP of $3.1 million.
Regional performance
Growth was broad-based across regions and practice areas. Europe, including the UK, and the Middle East posted increases of 7% and 12% respectively, while Asia-Pacific grew 26%, driven by a recovery in capital markets activity. The Americas recorded additional growth of 9%, bringing the region’s cumulative revenue increase to more than 65% over the past three years.
Demand was driven by activity across private equity and M&A, funds and asset management, restructuring and private credit, alongside structural shifts in technology and artificial intelligence, healthcare and life sciences, defence, renewable energy and infrastructure, including data centres and digital infrastructure.
Charles Adams, Global Managing Partner of Clifford Chance, said: “These record results reflect the confidence our clients place in us to advise them on their most significant cross-border matters. In an increasingly complex and fragmented geopolitical environment, our global network and deep sector knowledge provide our clients with a differential advantage, driving sustained growth in our profitability while we continue to strengthen the firm through significant investment in talent and technology.”
Adams added: “With the return of confidence to global M&A activity, we have advised on some of the largest and most complex M&A and private equity transactions in the world. Our work in major business and investment centres demonstrates the value of our global platform, our sector knowledge and the strength of our growing capabilities in the US.”
Talent and technology investment
The firm promoted 28 lawyers to partner globally, effective 1 May 2026, and welcomed 25 lateral partner hires worldwide, with 15 of these promotions and hires based in the US. Clifford Chance also continued to invest in artificial intelligence and technology tools for legal service delivery, reporting an AI adoption rate of more than 90% across the firm.
The firm expanded its office network, including new premises in Paris, Houston and London, along with an expansion of its New York facilities. Since opening its New York office at 2 Manhattan West in May 2024, headcount there has grown 22%, including 18 new partners. Since 1 January 2025, the number of partners in the US has increased by 34 through promotions and lateral hires. The Houston office, opened in 2023 to strengthen the firm’s global energy and infrastructure practice, has grown to 19 partners and 47 professionals covering energy, infrastructure, environmental transactions, regulatory, tax, private equity and technology work.
