Recognised as one of the Sunday Times’s Best Places to Work in 2025, Stephens Scown LLP is driving forward with its strategic growth plans thanks to investment across the South West. The latest move for the employee-owned and B Corp™ Certified law firm with offices in Truro, Exeter and Taunton establishes a more permanent home for its growing Somerset team and plans for a brand-new base in Bournemouth.
Following the major refurbishment and investment in purchasing the leasehold of Curzon House, the firm’s headquarters in Exeter, and having taken on the leasehold of Falcon House in Truro city centre, Stephens Scown is strengthening its roots in Somerset with a 10-year lease at Portland House on Taunton’s Blackbrook Estate.
With a move-in date set for early September, Stephen Wray, who leads the firm’s Commercial Dispute Resolution and Somerset team, says of the move: “We are delighted with the progress we have made since moving onto the Blackbrook Estate in 2023, galvanising our links with the local business community and developing relationships with clients across the region, while supporting the wider community with everything from sponsored swims to gardening and reading in schools. Now is the time to establish our new long-term home in Portland House and we can’t wait to move in.”
He continues, “We are a growing and fun-loving team, and we’d love to hear from talented individuals who are looking for their next challenge in a firm with an outstanding workplace culture that balances support for its people, the planet and profit.”
Managing Partner, Richard Baker states: “This is an important step in our development as a leading South West law firm. It shows we are committed to our region and our communities, while also being able to deliver outstanding legal services to clients regionally and nationally. Our people are specialists in their respective legal fields, enabling our clients to navigate life’s personal and business challenges, to grasp opportunities and to thrive.
“With key new hires over the last year including Matt Huggett, Helen Williams, Nick Smith and Georgina Carter, we are recruiting for a number of new roles, from trainees and apprentices to senior associates and partners, bringing further employment opportunities to Somerset.”
Achieving its best financial results in its long history, with ‘24/’25 revenue set to top the £30 million mark, the Firm’s ground-breaking employee-ownership scheme, Scownership, continues to be a success in terms of employee retention and recruitment. In 2024, each eligible employee was paid a record £4,685 profit share regardless of their role, because the Firm values everyone’s contribution equally. Meanwhile, Stephens Scown is making sure its financial success is matched by its commitment to delivering above and beyond for its clients, its people and local communities with investment in people and business infrastructure.
As an employee-owned firm, one of the secrets of Stephens Scown’s success can be found in the engagement it has been able to build with its people. Highlighting this, earlier in the year, the Firm celebrated being listed as one of the Sunday Times Best Places to Work for 2025. Based on positive employee feedback, the nationwide survey celebrates the best employers across industries of all sectors and sizes.
Building on the firm’s successful growth in Somerset and following the appointment of commercial property specialist Chris Twaits as a Partner, the firm has also announced it is to open a new office in Bournemouth by the end of the year. Watch this space for news of more key appointments in the coming months. For anyone interested in developing their career in a supportive and dynamic work environment, get in touch with the firm’s HR team.