Browne Jacobson has strengthened its presence in Wales by moving into a new, larger city centre office in Cardiff.
The UK and Ireland law firm has signed a 10 year lease for 9,500 sq ft of space on the fourth floor at One Central Square, a 10 storey building located between Cardiff Central railway station and the Principality Stadium. The firm was previously based in a temporary office at St Andrew’s Crescent.
The move marks another milestone in Browne Jacobson’s continued growth, following a record £137m annual equivalent turnover in 2024 to 25, representing a 16 per cent increase on the previous year.
Fast growth for the Cardiff team has played a key role in that success. Since opening its Cardiff office at 36 Park Place in July 2023 with a team of seven, the firm has grown to 40 people locally. This includes seven partners and three legal directors delivering its full range of legal services.
The new space, which is built to BREEAM Excellent energy efficiency standards, has capacity for more than 120 people, signalling clear ambitions for further growth. It includes eight meeting rooms and a fully serviced client suite and boardroom with events space for up to 50 people. The move has also created two new front of house roles, with the firm committed to working with local suppliers.
Tim Edds, Partner and Head of Cardiff, who co founded the office, said: “Moving into a permanent office at the heart of Cardiff’s business district is an important milestone in Browne Jacobson’s journey and signals our long-term commitment to the Welsh legal market, as well as our ambition for significant future growth.
“When we opened our first Cardiff office in 2023 following 20 years of working with the Welsh public sector, we were excited about the possibilities that existed here for deepening our relationship with existing clients while expanding our offer to new sectors. We now have a client roster of market-leading Welsh businesses and organisations, fast-growth tech companies, private equity and venture capital investors, and high-net-worth entrepreneurs.
“The incredible growth in clients and headcount we’ve experienced since then meant we have outgrown two offices, prompting our search for a permanent location that will accommodate our long-term ambitions while providing a space to host our clients and events.
“One Central Square is a landmark building in Cardiff that perfectly suits our needs. With neighbours including the BBC, PwC and RBC Brewin Dolphin, and being within a stone’s throw of the railway station to provide travel connections nationally, this move will also help us to further cement our place within the business community not just in Cardiff but across Wales.”
Browne Jacobson’s Cardiff office now spans all of its departments and sectors, including public, planning and environmental law, health advisory litigation, corporate transactions, education, real estate, social housing, construction, insurance and regulatory work. The team is also aligned with key Welsh economic drivers such as technology, energy, green infrastructure, health, education, aerospace and devolution.
Recent senior appointments in Cardiff include corporate partners Tom Saunderson, Phil Pugh and Christian Farrow, real estate partner Rich MacPhail, education legal director Trish D’Souza, who is President of the Cardiff and District Law Society, and most recently Kate Howell as a legal director in the construction team.
The Cardiff team has advised on several landmark projects, including the Celtic Freeport, Morlais which is Europe’s largest consented tidal energy scheme off the coast of Anglesey, and Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, the renewable energy development company for Wales.
Laura Hughes, Partner and Executive Lead for Wales, who was recently named Partner of the Year at the British Legal Awards and featured in The Lawyer Hot 100 2025, said: “Alongside bringing our full suite of legal services to Wales, we’ve been very keen to create a legacy here via our social mobility initiatives, which we believe can make a substantial difference to the perception of the legal profession and professional services among Welsh young people.
“We know that Welsh people love living in Wales surrounded by their family and communities. By signalling our long-term commitment to Cardiff and Wales more broadly, we’re excited about being able to offer more opportunities for some of the nation’s best legal and professional services talent to join a Top 50 law firm.”
