When James Richardson took over as managing partner of Lupton Fawcett in April 2020, he was handed the task of rectifying the firm’s political issues and tired reputation. He went in guns blazing and made some unpopular decisions early on to cull less-profitable clients and trim employee headcount. When he announced the Leeds office would downsize its square footage by 66 per cent in 2022, not everyone was pleased.
But the firm’s success over the last 12 months proves that Richardson was a man with a plan. His pickiness of clients and laterals has helped the firm to be the most profitable it has been in years. Last year’s rebrand and refurbished offices in Leeds and York has put Lupton Fawcett back on the map.
Aside from overseeing the firm (with his life-size cut-out of Volodymyr Zelenskyy by his side in the office) Richardson also keeps his hand in as a corporate insolvency lawyer. Over the last year, he has dealt with Covid-19 business interruption loans and has overseen the collapse of a litigation funder. All while finding time to play the guitar and cure his own charcuterie.