Law firm Ison Harrison has been named Law Firm of the Year at the Northern Law Awards (NLA), marking a major milestone in its expansion strategy across the North East.

The accolade, in the category of law firm with under 50 employees in the North East region, comes during a period of unprecedented regional growth for the 100% employee-owned firm. Over the past 12 months, Ison Harrison has expanded its footprint to a 25 office network, opening five new branches and recruiting 127 new staff members.

This rapid expansion has fueled exceptional business performance. In 2025, the firm achieved a total turnover of £35million, with profits exceeding £9million, a 32% year-on-year increase, significantly outperforming the legal sector average.

Central to this growth is the Teesside operation. Ison Harrison established its Middlesbrough office at the Cleveland Business Centre in October 2025, providing an accessible high-street presence for specialist legal aid, family law, inquest, conveyancing, personal injury, human rights and civil liberties.

The regional team has taken a prominent role in high-profile public interest cases. Notably, the firm represents more than 150 individuals and families affected by systemic failings at the Tees, Esk and Wear Valley (TEWV) NHS Trust. This involvement follows a relentless six-year lobbying campaign by the firm’s legal team to compel the Health Minister to launch the North’s first statutory public inquiry into mental health services.

Sarah Magson, partner and Middlesbrough branch manager, who previously won Lawyer of the Year at the Northern Law Awards, commented: "This win is a fantastic validation of our commitment to Teesside and the wider North East region. When we opened the Middlesbrough office, the goal was to bring specialist, complex legal services directly into the community, removing the barriers often associated with large, centralised firms.

"Our growth over the last year shows that our high-street model works. We are actively expanding legal aid and public law services at a time when other firms are retreating from them, ensuring vulnerable individuals in our region have a powerful voice to challenge the state and achieve accountability."

The firm's commercial success is deeply tied to its unique governance model. Since transitioning to 100% employee ownership, Ison Harrison has maintained an industry-leading staff retention rate. All employees with more than one year of service benefit from an equal annual profit-share scheme, regardless of their role or salary band.

Jonathan Wearing, managing director of Ison Harrison, added: "This award belongs to our entire workforce. Our growth is a direct result of our employee-owned culture, where every single team member has a stake in our success and feels part of something special.

"Every one of our 25 branches performed exceptionally last year, meaning that we were able to reinvest back into the firm, acquire local practices, protect legal sector jobs, and fund critical pro-bono and public inquiry work. We are proving that a values-driven, collaborative law firm can be a highly successful commercial powerhouse."

Looking ahead, the firm is cementing its future talent pipeline in the region by collaborating with local education providers to pioneer a hybrid legal education model. This initiative combines academic study with structured workplace experience, helping graduates secure the qualifying work experience required for the SQE following recent changes to traditional apprenticeship funding.

Ison Harrison offers the broadest range of legal services across Yorkshire and the North East. The firm holds over 13 Law Society accreditations, including Lexcel, Clinical Negligence, Family Law, Immigration & Asylum, Conveyancing Quality, and SRA Higher Courts Rights - civil and criminal. The firm is proud to be 100% employee-owned and has just been voted in the top ten ‘Best Places to Work 2026’ by The Sunday Times.