National law firm Weightmans announces new managing partner

National law firm Weightmans has announced Sarah Walton as its new managing partner.

Walton will assume the role at the start of the firm’s new financial year in April 2025, when managing partner of 12 years John Schorah will stand down.

Currently a board member and Client Relationships Director, Walton joined the firm in 2011 on the merger with North West law firm Mace & Jones (having joined M&J in 2000 as a trainee). She has held a broad range of roles throughout her tenure, including serving as Head of Service Delivery (Corporate, Commercial and Private Wealth) and Client Segment Head for large Corporates. She has also been a member of the firm’s Remuneration Committee.

John Schorah and Sarah Walton are already working closely together to ensure a smooth and seamless transition with a shared commitment to driving the ambition to be a Top 30 law firm. Walton’s vision for the firm is to be a ‘leader in collaboration, empowering our people to innovate and elevate client success through exceptional service’. Walton said she was committed to anticipating industry shifts and adapting the firm’s strategy to capitalise on emerging opportunities, ensuring Weightmans remains as a leader in the legal market — with a strategy for achieving sustainable profitable revenue growth built around four core pillars of Culture & People, Brand and Market Positioning, Technology, and Operational Excellence; and the firm’s purpose, See the Possibility, remaining at its heart, encouraging people to fulfil their potential, and ensuring clients have what they need to succeed. 

The announcement comes on the back of a raft of successes for the top 40 firm. Its 23/24 results saw its strongest financial results in its history with net profit up 41% on the previous year.  It was awarded Top Employer status for the 17th time with a top 10 ranking by global body, Top Employers Institute. It launched CyXcel, a revolutionary new cyber consulting business which fuses legal and technical cyber expertise, in the UK (with a technical offering also in North America). And it received the highest Platinum rating by EcoVadis, a global sustainability rating provider, confirming its status in the top 1% of the UK’s most socially and environmentally conscious law and accountancy firms.

Managing partner John Schorah said: “The last 12 years have been a period of profound change and development, both for us as a firm and for the legal sector as a whole. It has been a privilege to steer the Weightmans ship to growth during this time, making sure we remain true to our values of investing in our people and increasing accessibility to law as a career.

Over the last 12 years I am proud that we have completed a series of successful mergers, growing our national presence from five to nine offices and turnover has almost doubled. Our work has become increasingly international in nature and this year we have opened our first overseas office in North America. We have diversified into other key sectors and service lines whilst underpinning our longstanding insurance and claims practice, with many of our Partners and teams being recognised as leaders in their field. We have radically changed the way we recruit and retain the best talent, including being the first firm to welcome solicitor apprentices (this year we have 87), leading the way in social mobility in the legal profession, to restructuring our partner remuneration to incentivise collaboration and service excellence. We have embedded our purpose See the Possibility both internally and externally. Most importantly, when we talk to our clients, they love what we do.

“I am extremely proud of all the hard work and contributions made by our people to making our most recent year our most successful. It feels a very fitting time to hand the reins over to Sarah, a close and trusted colleague who will usher in an exciting new era for the firm.”

Sarah Walton said :

“It is an honour and a privilege to have been appointed as managing partner of Weightmans. Under John’s leadership we have achieved remarkable success and I am committed to building on this strong foundation, guiding Weightmans through its next chapter of growth and success, cultivating a culture of collaboration, innovation and inclusivity, and continuing to deliver an exceptional client service that drives real value”.