It’s a festive ritual for Gorvins Managing Partner, Mark Deverell, to reflect on the year that’s been while looking forward to the new one round the corner.
2025 has been as quick a year as I can remember and has gone by in a flash. In the 12 months since we sat here last, there’s been a huge amount to celebrate in the practice. Now with 2026 just around the corner, we’re already looking forward to building on that in the year to come.
Here’s Mark’s thoughts about all that and more.
How this year has felt
It’s certainly been a busy year. Sometimes it feels like it all happens at once! A new website, a renewed partnership with Stockport County, refurbishments at Dale House, new senior people arriving into the firm and a number of young legal professionals joining the team. All different projects, but together they tell a bigger story. We’re a firm with a long history and deep roots, but we’re not static. We’ve kept moving, kept updating and kept building for the future.
What’s stood out most is how naturally things have fallen into place. New people have joined and immediately felt part of the structure, the culture and the rhythm of the firm. That’s not something you can force. It only happens when you’ve got the right foundations.
Recruitment and people strategy
This year we’ve added a significant number of senior lawyers and an even larger cohort of paralegals. Both decisions are deliberate. We want to build strength across the firm and create long-term progression pathways.
We’re also exploring legal apprenticeships. It’s still a relatively new route into the profession, but it offers a valuable way to bring in talented people who can grow with us over five to seven years. By the end of that journey, you develop someone who understands the culture instinctively. Someone who is, in every sense, a Gorvins lawyer.
We know people will move on, that’s a normal part of running a business. But it’s rare that they don’t leave with goodwill, and just as rare that they don’t come back in some form later.
That’s the measure of a healthy firm.
Recognition in the Legal 500 and Chambers rankings
It’s also been a strong year in the legal directories, which continue to benchmark our progress. Legal 500 once again placed Gorvins in Tier 1 for Corporate & Commercial, Dispute Resolution and Commercial Property, with a long list of individual lawyers recognised across the firm. We also saw ten further departments ranked, an improved position for Employment and a new Tier 2 entry for our Private Client team.
Chambers UK 2025 added to the picture, with an uplift for our Private Wealth offering and positive client feedback highlighting our accessibility, technical strength and practical approach.
None of this happens by accident. It reflects the consistency of the teams, the quality of the work and the culture that underpins both.
Gorvins steady evolution
Looking back over the past year, what strikes me most is how much the firm has moved forward simply through steady, consistent progress. It hasn’t been a year defined by one big headline change. Instead, it’s been about continuing to strengthen what we already do well and tightening the way we work day to day.
Across departments, teams have sharpened their processes, improved collaboration and found better ways to manage workload. A lot of this doesn’t shout for attention, but it makes a tangible difference to the experience our clients receive and the way we operate internally.
It’s also been a year where the foundations we’ve built over time have paid off. The structures we’ve put in place, the people we’ve developed and the commitment to doing things properly have all helped us move forward without drama. Progress has felt measured, sustainable and grounded in reality rather than ambition for ambition’s sake.
For me, that’s the real marker of a good year. Not disruption, not reinvention. Just a firm quietly getting stronger.
Looking ahead
Next year won’t be defined by one large, headline project. Instead it will be about the things that make the biggest difference over time: continued client service, productivity, structure, smarter ways of working and continued investment in the teams across the firm. Whilst what we do is all about our clients, it takes an excellent team across the board to deliver it.
We’re passionate about attracting the best people to come and work at Gorvins. Just as important is our investment in learning and development for our young lawyers. This is the key to delivering great results for our clients.
We’re committed to Stockport and we’re committed to the idea that a firm can grow, evolve and adapt without losing its identity. If we keep doing that, the rest will follow naturally.
Here’s a fond farewell to 2025 and a positive 2026.